Review
Outcome-Based Investment (OBI) reviews

Outcome-Based Investment (OBI) reviews assess long-term (between eight and twelve years) investment contracts in the ecosystems research area.

They have two goals:

• to provide an assessment of the performance of the relevant contracts
• to provide recommendations on current and future investment in the ecosystems research area.

The reviews are carried out during the research contract, in order to assess the direction of the research.

How they are done

OBIs are contracted through a single research provider, and have a governing body with representatives from both research-users and the research providers.

After the first year of the contract, a review of the governance structure is undertaken by a business consultant and a science expert. This process has been completed for all eight OBIs.

At year-four and year-eight of the contract, a science review will be undertaken by an expert panel - selected by both the contracting researcher and the Foundation?.

The outcome of a year-four and year-eight OBI Science review may lead to an increase, or decrease, in Foundation investment (plus or minus 20 percent).