ICR Database Committee

Overview of the ICR Database Committee

Leads:
Jeff Anderson, Jeff Roth, & Dr. Julian Martinez-Agosto


The Infrastructure for Collaborative Research (ICR) is a comprehensive platform designed to streamline and enhance research processes by fostering a collaborative environment for researchers, participants, and interested parties. The ICR hosts study data relevant to the physical health and wellbeing of Autistic individuals, maintains a participant database, facilitates data collection, and allows researchers to share projects and find collaborators at other sites who can contribute to collecting data and furthering these projects. A key intention of the ICR is to reduce the time and resources that any individual researcher would need to devote to turning a project idea into reality.

Here's an overview of what ICR offers:

  • Inclusive Proposal Review Process: ICR prides itself on its inclusive review process. Researchers can submit their study proposals through the ICR's dedicated Request for Proposals (RFP) website. Proposals are meticulously reviewed, ensuring a wide range of perspectives and insights are considered. This process is not only thorough but also encourages community involvement, allowing researchers to receive direct feedback from the communities they aim to study.
  • Collaborative Workspaces: Upon approval, researchers gain access to private workspaces and forums specifically tailored for their projects. These digital spaces serve as hubs for all study materials and discussions, facilitating seamless interaction between collaborators. The ICR forum is an invaluable resource for researchers to engage with each other and the ICR team, promoting an exchange of ideas and best practices.
  • Participant Database: ICR maintains a robust participant database to assist in study recruitment. Researchers can provide inclusion and exclusion criteria, enabling the ICR team to effectively search and match potential participants already familiar with the research process. This tailored recruitment strategy enhances the efficiency of the study setup and ensures a fit between participant profiles and study requirements.
  • REDCap Tools and Surveys: Recognizing the importance of data collection, ICR assists researchers in creating REDCap tools and surveys. By providing project requirements and study protocols, researchers can count on the ICR to support the development and deployment of these tools, ensuring that the study is primed for robust data collection.
  • Interactive Results Dashboard: The fruits of research efforts are showcased on an interactive dashboard. Researchers and interested parties can view and interact with this dashboard, which summarizes de-identified data from various studies. The data dictionary is also accessible, offering detailed information on the data collected.
  • Data for Secondary Analysis: Following a specified moratorium on data sharing to preserve the integrity and exclusivity of the primary research, ICR provides datasets for secondary analysis. This enables other researchers to delve deeper into the findings, potentially uncovering new insights. The data dictionary serves as a guide for researchers to understand the available variables and to formulate requests for specific data sets.

In essence, the ICR is more than a platform; it is an ecosystem designed to support and empower researchers at every stage of their projects—from proposal submission to data collection and beyond. It encapsulates a vision for a more collaborative, efficient, and transparent research process.

ICR ANSWER Representatives

The AIR-P ICR Database Committee is seeking candidates for ANSWER representatives! Visit the ANSWER representatives page to learn more about the responsibilities of the role.