Swine experimental units: a decade of innovations and insights in Horia Cernescu Research Unit

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the research impact of the Swine Experimental Unit (SwUEX) infrastructure. Over the past decade (2014-2024), SwUEX has generated 24 scientific papers, 4 patent applications, and established 47 collaborations and networks. The citation impact of these publications varied across databases, with WOS showing an average of 2.21±0.95 citations and Google Scholar showing 3.71±1.49. Higher-tier (Q1-Q2) publications received more citations than lower-tier (Q3-Q4) and BDI articles in both WOS and Google Scholar. A retrospective analysis of swine management and biomedical research revealed no significant trends in publication levels or citation counts. However, swine biomedical papers in WOS showed significant citation impact by publication type (χ2=15.511, p=0.017). While no significant social impact was observed, there was a notable economic impact (χ2=8.678, p=0.033), which became more significant with the inclusion of patent applications (χ2=10.885, p=0.012). Additionally, the research output of SwUEX contributed to fostering collaborations and networks. The patent applications further underscored the link between these outputs and their socio-economic impact, showing significant associations with social, economic, and collaborative efforts.