What are the methods of Quality and Project Management (PM) which can support the design and development of a research project? What are the advantages? How feasible is a model of Total Quality Management for a research lab? The experiences of the qPMO network have been published in volume 20 of the journal Accreditation and Quality Assurance in an article entitled “Applying Quality and Project Management methodologies in biomedical research laboratories: a public research network's case study.”

The article describes the experimental approach of qPMO network researchers who have applied, within the area of Non-Regulated Research, different Quality and PM methods with the aim of developing management models to improve research, organize the knowledge generated, and create strong synergies between the scientific sector and the business world, which are recurring themes of Horizon 2020. The project is divided into four Workpackages: (i) knowledge management, (ii) experimental procedure management, (iii) research laboratory management, (iv) multivariable experiment management. The results show that the proper and accurate application of Quality and PM methods provide useful support tools for research, including Non-Regulated research.