Five years ago this September marks the birth of the NIH Health Care Systems Collaboratory, an NIH Common Fund project designed to build national infrastructure for conducting pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs). At the heart of the NIH Collaboratory is an ongoing series of NIH Collaboratory Trials that embed innovative pragmatic clinical research within the “real-world” conditions of working healthcare systems.

In addition to supporting these NIH Collaboratory Trials, the NIH Collaboratory also works to advance PCT methodologies and ensure that knowledge and lessons learned are disseminated as widely as possible. With a series of Core Working Groups dedicated to exploring different facets of trial design and conduct, the NIH Collaboratory has already made significant contributions to the knowledge base in the PCT arena. In addition, its Distributed Research Network allows rich electronic data resources to be efficiently queried by investigators while ensuring the security of confidential information.

As the NIH Collaboratory celebrates its fifth birthday, it is also preparing to embark upon a new phase of efforts. With the award of grant funding for an additional 5 years this September and the unveiling of the redesigned and expanded Living Textbook, the NIH Collaboratory offers a growing array of resources and knowledge that will equip health systems to engage in sustainable pragmatic clinical research on a national scale.

For more, see Duke Clinical Research Institute’s article on the Collaboratory’s first 5 years.