The EQIPD Quality System is the result of a collaborative effort between several people and organizations, yet it cannot address all potential scenarios under which research rigor measures are needed and will be implemented. The foundation laid by EQIPD is formulated in the “core requirements” and we welcome further efforts to support development of tools, instruments, services and follow-up projects that address the variety of needs of the wider research community.
Examples of how core principles of EQIPD were successfully adapted and led to the development of new tools and services already exist:
 
Implementation of a Quality System is a significant effort testifying to a research organization’s long-term commitment to quality. However, there are situations where it is essential to demonstrate and to ensure that EQIPD-level quality standards are maintained during a shorter time window (e.g. to support execution of a specific collaboration project). We have developed a “purpose-fit assessment” for these situations (see HERE a comparison of the expectations for QS vs purpose-fit).
 
Another example is a collaborative effort to develop a questionnaire that reflects EQIPD principles and allows to evaluate research rigor standards at potential collaborators. Sandrine Bongiovanni and Mathias Baumann (Novartis), Fiona Ducrey (Sanofi), Thomas Steckler and Anja Gilis (Janssen), Anton Bespalov (PAASP), Lee Monk (UCB), René Bernard (Charité) and Malcolm Macleod (University of Edinburg) worked together to develop this questionnaire. Recently finalized, this questionnaire is now free for use by anyone. We have been in discussion with some consortium members and associate members (including funding organizations) who might wish to implement this, and some of them are already at a stage where they are ready to use it. For example, the questionnaire has been successfully implemented on the Scientist.com platform, a marketplace for outsourced R&D activities (press release). Also our consortium partner Science Exchange plans to work with the EQIPD Quality System (press release).
 
We hope to see many more examples where the EQIPD Quality System was successfully adapted to specific research needs in the future.