Experience and thinking of principal investigator system management in laboratories of medical schools / 中华医学科研管理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:Principal Investigator (PI) system is the most common model of scientific research organization and management in colleges and universities. PI is the head of the laboratory or the leader of the research team who has the authority to manage the supporting team, funds, and space (laboratory). We aim to explore the advantages and problems of the PI system implementation and deeply understand how to effectively and scientifically manage the project management, personnel coordination, and fund use of the entire team to promote the scientific research output of the PI platform of medical schools in China.Methods:By concluding and analyzing the management experience and main bottlenecks of PI laboratories at home and abroad, and summarizing our center's experience in assisting the management of PI laboratories in life sciences, we explored a new model of PI system development suitable for China.Results:Under PI system, the person in charge systematically learns to operate his or her laboratory scientifically. Perfection and improvement of the methodologies of team formation, laboratory public affairs management, and laboratory fund management can effectively avoid existing problems and follow the intrinsic laws of scientific research development and truth-seeking, promote the development in discipline development, interdisciplinary cooperation, personnel training, and study style construction.Conclusions:As the leader and manager of the scientific research team, PI is critical to the development of scientific research in universities in China. The incubation of a new scientific management model for the PI team is conducive to promoting the scientific and technological innovation of the PI team and the long-term development of scientific research institutions.