Support from Clinicum strengthened Sophia’s VR application
When Sophia Brismar Wendel, Professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at Karolinska Institutet and Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital, was preparing her application for clinical treatment research funding from the Swedish Research Council (VR), she chose to seek support from Clinicum to further strengthen her proposal.
After progressing to the second stage of the application process, her project received clear feedback: the methodological expertise needed to be clarified and strengthened, particularly regarding the design and implementation of clinical trials. This was despite the research group already having carried out a high-quality multicentre study, as well as having support from the Clinical Training Centre (KTA) and having received a planning grant from VR.
“I turned to Clinicum hoping for help to see how we could further strengthen and clarify the methodological expertise,” says Sophia Brismar Wendel.
The collaboration with Clinicum did not lead to any far-reaching changes in the project’s design. However, the advice helped to further assure the quality of the application and clarify important elements. Among other things, the research group received guidance on how an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) should be set up and how the data management plan could be structured.
Clinicum added extra weight to the application
An important outcome was also that the project could be presented as methodologically reviewed by Clinicum, which gave the application additional weight.
“We were able to state that everything had been reviewed by Clinicum, which certainly helped as a mark of quality,” she says, adding that the group already had strong statistical expertise in place.
The effort turned out to be successful. The application was approved, something Sophia Brismar Wendel is very pleased with.
Based on her experience, she wants to encourage other researchers to contact Clinicum early in the process, as soon as their research idea begins to take shape.
“Do get in touch at an early stage, that is, when you are sketching out your research plan and first application. That’s when I think you will benefit the most,” she says.
She also believes that the same approach can advantageously be used for new doctoral projects, where early methodological guidance can be crucial for both quality and feasibility.