Research priority setting aims to maximise the benefits of research investment, providing valuable direction for the allocation of public and private research funds into areas of strategic importance. Using a systematic, explicit and transparent process to set research priorities helps to ensure that funded research has the greatest potential public health benefit, that research is aligned with the evidence and with the needs of decision makers, and that limited resources are used efficiently and equitably.
This guide has been developed to assist NSW Health staff to identify and update population health research priorities. While it is written from a population health perspective, the guide may also be useful for supporting research priority setting processes in other health or human service fields.