The report provides an overview of the governance of the DRIVE Study Platform, providing an insight into the adaptations made following feedback over the course of the first year of Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (IVE) studies.

The DRIVE consortium would like to thank our stakeholders and partners for the valuable feedback on the study platform governance. Study platforms like DRIVE are novel and of pivotal importance for creating knowledge on complex phenomena like vaccine effectiveness by means of public-private collaborations. The study platform’s objective is one of transparent collaboration among stakeholders and this has been reviewed and further developed based on the feedback and the learnings of the first season’s implementation.

Review and changes following feedback received throughout the first year and following the Annual Forum in September 2018

The key activities based off of the feedback include, for example:

  1. Increased role and improved definitions of the Independent Scientific Committee (ISC) and Quality Control and Audit Committee (QCAC).
  2. Methods utilised to engage with external stakeholders and study including study partners.
  3. Increased communication around the study platform governance was identified as an opportunity for development.

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) structure was identified as a key benefit for Consortium participants. Conversely, PPP structure also created new challenges, as the project was met with hesitancy regarding the role of private companies – especially from the external public domain stakeholders.

To overcome these hurdles, there is a need to further communicate – in a transparent manner – the governance structures and processes of DRIVE. The consortium has addressed the issue by starting to produce more detailed information about the study governance, for example the scientific review process https://www.drive-eu.org/index.php/governance/scientific-review/.

The value of data from the DRIVE consortium’s IVE studies must be strengthened by enlarging the study platform with new research collaborators. This is currently taking place, as new study sites are joining DRIVE this season as the result of the Annual Call. In addition, innovative means to use open data will be explored.

Read the Report at the DRIVE website: https://www.drive-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DRIVE-D1.5-Governance-Report-v1.0.pdf