The quality of research projects is often not visible until after funding has ended and is ultimately reflected in the verifiability and reproducibility of the results, as well as in the compatibility of the findings arrived at in the project. There are a number of aspects that should be taken into account when planning a project in order to enable high-quality findings in the first place.

The working group “Quality in Clinical Research” of the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research has developed essential quality-promoting measures for medical and biomedical research based on discussion with representatives of life science review boards and compiled these in a brief guide(externer Link). Key points identified include the choice of research model and theoretical approach, the quality of the data sets and biomaterials used and the use of suitable research infrastructures. In addition, appropriate statistical planning and approaches to avoid bias contribute significantly to the quality of the results in these subject areas.

This guide is intended to help applicants take these aspects into account more systematically when planning, as well as when presenting them in the funding proposal. On this basis, the explanations in the funding proposals are systematically included in review and evaluation, thereby raising overall awareness of the relevance of quality-promoting aspects as well as academic discourse on this subject.