Best Practices for New Networks

  1. The most consistent comment from ongoing and former members of Leducq is that face-to face meetings are indispensable. Early meetings will help to establish the basis for collaborative work in the later years.  All members should attend the network meetings, which should be held at least twice per year.
  2. Consider setting the dates of the face-to-face meetings for the duration of the 5-year grant up front during the network’s organizational phase.
  3. During the initial discussions of the network, think carefully about a communication system for all the members to use, particularly the early career investigators. Some networks have utilized a monthly or more frequent video conferencing system-with great results. Ideally, the communication system should be secure so that confidential matters within the network are shared only with the members.
  4. Choose a Network Administrative Officer (NAO) who has the time (approximately 0.5 FTE) and skill set to lead the important tasks of the network. The NAO should have strong organizational skills and have an understanding of the research operations and its translation to budgets and financial expenditures. In addition, the NAO can play an important role in planning meetings, organizing exchange among network members, and facilitating collaborative work. Ideally, the NAO should communicate or ‘touch base’ frequently with the members of the network, the coordinators of the network, the grants/legal offices at the member institutions and the staff at Leducq. A proactive approach helps to detect problems before they occur. For more on this topic, please see the NAO Handbook on the website.
  5. Consider appointing one member of the network to supervise the role and curriculum of the early career investigators.
  6. Early career investigators should participate actively in the face-to-face meetings. Ideally, they would present their work on behalf of the labs in which they are working.  These meetings provide an excellent opportunity for them to get to know their peers, who will be working in the same area, and the leading experts in the field.
  7. Consider speaking to scientists who have been involved in previous Leducq networks; explore their ideas about successful implementation of the network’s goals.
  8. Remember that the principal aim of the network is to foster outstanding scientific research by bringing together teams of investigators with complementary expertise and resources to work on a common thematic problem in cardiovascular or neurovascular disease. Periodically the team needs to ensure that they are, in fact, working together on a common theme and have not drifted apart.
  9. Over the course of the term, look for new projects that take advantage of the expertise within the network. Support for this kind of collaborative work can be difficult to find, and the five years go by very quickly, so make a point to think about this early on.
  10. The budget over the course of the grant is meant to be flexible. Money not spent in the first year may be carried over to the subsequent years of the grant. Allocation of funds to the various institutions may be changed. This is at the discretion of the coordinators of the network, as long as fiscal responsibility is in place. New members may be added to the network, but must be supported from within the limits of the total amount of the award.
  11. Begin to think about how the network will ultimately share data generated within the network to the outside scientific community. As examples, can you identify a group with whom to collaborate in the future, or a genetic databank with which to download information?
  12. Consider having a conversation early in the network’s organization phase about authorship of papers resulting from the network collaboration. Ground rules established early avoid painful issues later on. Nature: “Authorship: Who’s on First?”
  13. Be clear about issues of governance early on. The Leducq Research Agreement gives the coordinators, acting together, the power to modify network composition, institutional budgets, and, within certain limits, even the scientific objectives of the program.  The Fondation Leducq does not, however, require any particular governance structure.  It is worth having an early discussion about how decisions will be made in the network, and how advisory committees, if in place, will function.
  14. It is very important to document the discussion at meetings, especially including the action items to follow the meetings.
  15. Exchange of early career scientists between labs (and countries) can be difficult to arrange. It is helpful to plan them out in advance.
  16. Finally, the Fondation Leducq sees its role as one of facilitation. We want our networks to succeed, and will help to the extent that we are able.  If problems arise, please discuss them with us early on.