[OLGA, digital platform for the management of national health research networks: An effective model for complex organizations?]

Abstract

OLGA (which stands for "Activity Management Tool" in French) is a digital management platform developed by F-CRIN, the French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network, which was set up in 2012 to improve the performance and attractiveness of clinical research in France. F-CRIN currently represents a community made up of 21 different components - thematic research, investigation and research networks with a national scope - bringing together the equivalent of 1,500 clinical researchers and 400 research centres all around the country and belonging to many different organizations. Faced with the difficulty of gathering uniform collective data that meet the requirements of F-CRIN's supervisory authorities, in 2015 the F-CRIN community decided to develop a specific monitoring and management tool. Designed with input from its future users, OLGA currently has two modules: one for the components' research activity and the other for their financial operations, resources and expenses. These are able to take account of the activity of the components in all their diversity and produce various sets of indicators. Other features, including a space for sharing documents, are currently being developed. Today, OLGA is a reference tool for managing large-scale, complex organisations.

Keywords: Clinical research; Digital platform; Managment; National networks; Pilotage; Plateforme digitale; Recherche clinique; Réseaux nationaux.