Medical aspects

Abstract

There is no ready-made recipe for organising medical research so that scientists can work under optimal conditions. The organisational structure depends on various factors, e.g., the type of research (clinical, experimental, medical, biological), the location of the facilities (within or outside hospitals), the research system (centralised or decentralised), the size of the budget, the availability of scientific staff, etc. Of course, there are planning principles valid for many types of research facilities. However, a detailed scheme which can be used for all of them does not exist. This article is based on the experience gained by the author during the planning and organisation of four research departments in Basle, i.e., the Department of Research of the University Clinics of the Cantonal Hospital, the Bio-center of the University, the Basle Institute of Immunology, and a research department in the pharmaceutical industry.