Statistics for use in the evaluation of medical and health sciences. Analysis of research personnel in 2013, 2017 and 2021

Abstract

The statistics and indicators presented in this report provide background data for the evaluation of medical and health sciences conducted by The Research Council of Norway. Data are compiled by Statistics Norway and include data for 35 higher education units, 27 health trust units and five research institutes belonging to the institute sector for the years 2013, 2017 and 2021. 9 212 people involved in medical and health sciences in 2021 In 2021, R&D personnel/researchers in the evaluation units amounted to 9 212 people. 4 469 were employed at health trusts, 4 045 in the higher education institutes, and 1 285 in the institutes sector. There has been a growth in the number of R&D personnel equivalent to about 40 per cent since 2013, which was the same growth as both the higher education institutions and health trusts, while the research institutes in the institute sector had a smaller growth at about 16 per cent. Stable overall age structure The average age among the evaluated units was stable over the years and at about the same level for all three institutional types: 44 years among higher education institutions, 46–47 years among health trusts and 46 years for units in the institute sector. When it comes to the share of personnel at 62 years and older this constitutes 40 per cent of professors in the higher education sector institutions and 16 per cent of senior physicians at the health trusts. At the research institutes the total share of researchers at 62 years or older was only 10 per cent in 2021. Female researchers are in majority within medical and health sciences In higher education institutions there was an increase in the share of women from 57 per cent in 2013 to 62 per cent in 2021. Among health trust gender balance was more even with an increase in the share of women from 48 to 54 per cent in the period. Among research institutes the share of women was 63 per cent in 2021, a decrease from 64 per cent in 2013. 23 per cent of researchers had a foreign doctoral degree in the higher education sector The share of R&D personnel (exclusive PhD-students) with a foreign PhD was 23 per cent for researchers in the higher education institutions, 5 per cent for researchers in the health trusts and 13 per cent for research institutions belonging to the institute sector. The share has increased for all groups. In comparison, the share of foreign PhD-degrees in the total higher education sector was 14 per cent, while within medical and health sciences it was 8 per cent. In the institute sector, 6 per cent of the researchers within medical and health sciences had a foreign PhD-degree in 2021.