Applying Quality and Project Management methodologies in biomedical research laboratories: a public research network's case study

Quality principles and Project Management (PM) methodologies have long been ignored in non-regulated scientific research, even though they have been widely used in industrial and business applications, improving management and results and reducing costs. A groundbreaking project named Quality and Project Management OpenLab was implemented by a network of Italian National Research Council institutes, with the aim to realize and disseminate within the scientific community an innovative way to plan and organize research activity, inspired by Quality and PM principles and customized for needs and requisites of biomedical research laboratories. The results show better use of time and project consistency. Our experience of working side by side with Quality consultants clearly shows that the proper and accurate application of Quality and PM methodologies to intellectual and scientific production can facilitate and strengthen research, providing tools to make it faster and more efficient without imposing any undue constraints.