Westat

Rockville, MD

Principal Investigator: spacer Stephen Durako
Contact information:  

Westat
1650 Research Blvd.
Rockville, MD 20850
Link to web site of
Program or Institution:		   https://www.clinicalresearchnetworks.org/default.asp
Program Title:   Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise: Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Research Networks (IECRN)
Program Description:    

The Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Research Networks (IECRN) Project is part of the NIH Roadmap for medical research which seeks to improve health and to speed translation of these discoveries into practice. In particular, the IECRN is related to Reengineering the Clinical Research Enterprise, a Roadmap component which seeks to enhance the efficiency and productivity of clinical research by promoting clinical research networks that can rapidly conduct high quality studies capable of addressing multiple research questions. The IECRN project began in September 2004 and is ongoing.

The primary objectives of the IECRN project are as follows:

  • Inventory: To develop an inventory and database of clinical research networks. The Inventory is a searchable database of eligible, participating clinical research networks which contains demographic information about each network and will soon list the trials associated with each network. The Inventory is currently ongoing and continues to add newly formed and identified clinical research networks.
     
  • Descriptive Survey and Best Practices Study Reports: To describe organizational and operational characteristics of a sample of networks in several key areas and to identify and examine network best practices that lead to successful achievement of specified outcomes. These studies were completed in the spring of 2006 and the results presented at the National Leadership Forum.
     
  • National Leadership Forum: To conduct a National Leadership Forum to discuss the study findings, highlight selected best practices and disseminate this information to the research community. The National Leadership Forum was held on May 31 and June 1, 2006.