BERL has used metadata analysis and economic methodology to undertake a review of the NZFS Commission contestable research fund. The stated purpose of the fund is to advance knowledge in fire prevention and fire management to meet the NZFS Commission’s statutory interest. Between 1998 and 2010, the fund has commissioned research that has advanced fire prevention and fire management knowledge and resulted in over 100 research reports. The research assessment framework established to complete the metadata analysis incorporated economic methodology, principally benefit-cost analysis, with the strategic research framework established by CRESA in 2003. As well as cataloguing the data, the metadata analysis therefore considered the change (benefit) that has occurred as a result of the research.