Background: Research centers, defined as organized research units having research as their primary mission, are positioned as an organizational solution to tighten the knowledge to do gap in health research system (HRS). Therefore, this study aims to explore the roles of medical research centers (MRCs) in promoting HRS.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we reviewed the evaluation results of research performance of MRCs from 2001 to 2014. Data of evaluation indicators (in knowledge production and capacity building domains) were gathered and finally compared for these years.
Results: In the mentioned period, the number of medical research centers has grown by more than 11 folds. In the domain of knowledge production, the total number of published articles and published articles in ISI, Web of Science per researcher rose from 0.5 and 0.05 to about 3.5 and 1.2, respectively. The number of indexed articles in scientific international databases has increased more than 66 times and the total number of citations of MRCs' articles has increased to more than 80000. In the domain of capacity building, the trend of workshops and held congresses is ascending.
Conclusion: MRCs are well empowered in knowledge production in national HRS.
Keywords: Evaluation; health research system; medical research center.