A qualitative study on the basis of expert interviews

In response to what has been called the “reproducibility crisis”, institutions and granting agencies have begun to implement changes in how biomedical research activity is rewarded and funded. The aim of the present project is to gain a better understanding of how different stakeholders view these ongoing reforms. The goal of the project is to move toward a consensus of how to support robust research practices effectively while also avoiding unintended negative consequences. To this end, we plan to conduct approx. 40 semi-structured in-depth interviews with researchers, statisticians, PhD students, and administrative as well as governance key opinion leaders at the Charité, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, and the Berlin Institute of Health. The first interviews are planned for March 2018.

Background: The reproducibility and robustness of biomedical research have been called into question in both the scientific and the lay press. As meta-research studies have shown, however, procedures aimed at ensuring research quality have had limited success. We believe that reforms can best succeed when there is broad agreement among institutional administrators, biomedical researchers, and research methodologists about what should be reformed and how changes should be implemented.

The project is a collaboration between Prof. Nadon (Principle Investigator), Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, the QUEST Center for Transforming Biomedical Research and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and is co-funded by the Schering Foundation. Prof. Nadon is a Visiting Fellow of the QUEST Center.