Evaluation

Administrative innovation has been a hallmark of the YCCI, driven by continuous process improvement and ongoing self-evaluation. The processes for ongoing evaluation of YCCI and the Yale CTSA have evolved considerably with a fully integrated evaluations IT platform to support monitoring and tracking across the enterprise.

In fact, the research evaluation platform currently in use is a product of the Yale CTSA’s Targeted Component Review evaluations initiated in 2015. The purpose of the initial review was to improve data collection, entry, analysis, and synthesis in order to: (i) decrease the burden on investigators and the directors of core facilities and services; (ii) increase the ease and efficiency of reporting to NIH and other stakeholders; and (iii) inform decision-making for YCCI leaders. The review led to the recommendation of a new IT tracking and evaluation system.

Based on the results of the review, YCCI negotiated with Forte to develop the Evaluation System (EVAL), with Yale as a beta site. An initial test system was delivered on April 1, 2015, with an enterprise-wide license covering the Yale CTSA, Cancer Center grant, and 25 other NIH-funded center grants.

Today the system helps us track:

• more than 17,000 investigators (whether on faculty at Yale or at other institutions);
• more than 720,000 publications;
• ~13,000 individual projects and ~35,000 services; with tagged stories; tied to almost 8,000 grants.

Beyond the success at Yale, as of February 2020, 26 other centers have implemented Eval including, 23 Cancer Centers (including 16 NCI-designated) and two other CTSA Hubs), with several pending.