Table 2 The challenges of the Iranian HRS from a stewardship perspective
Features | Macro At the national scale (not restricted to MOHME) | Meso (Within the authority of MOHME) | Micro Research bodies and researchers |
|---|---|---|---|
Status | Status | Status | |
Leadership | Not clear | Defined structure with malfunctions | Nonfunctional Not efficient |
Vision | Not defined | Not defined | Not determined or expressed inefficiently Not aligned with a big picture |
Priority-setting | Not well defined Not transparent Not participatory Not systematic Not future-oriented Not efficient | Not well defined Not transparent Not participatory Not systematic Not efficient Not future-oriented Not matched with national development needs | Not aligned with the big picture or not defined |
Structure | Not harmonized/multiple actors Overlapped scope of stakeholders Inefficient in conflict of interest management Under the influence of political dominance Not agile | Inefficient Centralized Bureaucratic Under the influence of political dominance Not sustainable Contradictory in conflict of interest management Not agile Not updated | Nonuniform Dependent Gap between theory and practice Inadequate in conflict of interest management Not agile |
Regulation | Contradictory Inefficient in: • Incentives • Intellectual property • Capacity-building • Public–private partnerships • Enhancing international scientific relations • Research structure development | Contradictory Inefficient in: • Research process management • Enhancing transparency | Inefficient in: Motivating researchers Performance improvement |
Research monitoring and evaluation | Not defined | Not well defined Non harmonized Not standardized Not systematic Not dynamic Inefficient Quantitative One-dimensional | Not well defined Not harmonized Not standardized Not systematic Not dynamic Inefficient Quantitative One-dimensional |
Communication, networking and collaboration | Not defined (among critical stakeholders) Not practical | Not well defined (among critical stakeholders) Inefficient Not practical | Not well defined (among research bodies and individuals) Inefficient Not practical |
Evidence-based/informed decision-making | Not well defined Not efficient Less trusted Nonfunctional Not a priority | Not well defined Not efficient Less trusted Nonfunctional Not a priority | Not motivating Not efficient in responding |