The Cohort Coordination Board (CCB)

Strategically coordinating cohort studies to facilitate research efforts in Europe.

The Cohort Coordination Board (CCB) is a forum that brings together cohort-based COVID-19 research projects across Europe alongside representatives from the European Commission, EMA, ECDC and EFPIA.

Led by: UNIVR

 

Main mission

The Cohort Coordination Board (CCB) is a forum that brings together cohort-based COVID-19 research projects across Europe alongside representatives from the European Commission, EMA, ECDC and EFPIA. It aims to encourage knowledge-sharing between cohort-based research projects to facilitate partnerships, discuss similar challenges and reduce overlap between projects.

 

Composition

The CCB includes EC representatives, all the EU-funded projects conducting COVID-19 cohort-based research, other nationally-funded COVID-19 cohort-based research projects, relevant initiatives such as the European COVID-19 Data Platform, EU agencies (EMA, ECDC, HaDEA), EFPIA and other relevant stakeholders when appropriate. The board is organised into two levels, namely with a core group and an extended group who participate as the need arises and according to the topic of discussion.

Find below the list of the projects that form the core group:
members CCB
  • ORCHESTRA
  • VERDI
  • CoVICIS
  • unCoVer
  • EuCARE
  • REACT
  • ECRAID-Base
  • END-VOC
  • ReCoDID
  • LONG COVID
  • VACCELERATE
  • European COVID-19 Data Platform
  • SYNCHROS
  • NMCB
  • NICB
  • RIVM Long COVID

How does it work?

During the CCB’s monthly meetings, members and external experts are invited to present new initiatives, share preliminary results and discuss common challenges. The CCB is building a community to ensure the sharing and uptake of best practices across cohort-based COVID-19 projects in Europe, to facilitate partnerships, discuss similar challenges, and reduce overlap between projects. 

The CCB activities focus mainly on Post-COVID-19 Syndrome (PCS), data standardisation, the role of cohorts in pandemic and interpandemic times and the prioritisation of pathogens and variables, which are topics also covered by the CCB’s working groups. The CCB has been active since the 29th of April 2022, and has expanded both through the addition of new cohorts, and with its inclusion into recent EU-funded projects. Originally managed under the auspices of the Horizon 2020 ORCHESTRA project, the CCB has since been included into the Horizon Europe VERDI and CoMeCT projects.

CCB focus areas

Joining forces in the CCB

The overarching objectives of the CCB were developed during the first year of activity, and can be described as follows:

  1. Update: provide an update on the status of ongoing cohort studies, including early results and final outcomes.
  2. Avoid overlapping: and duplication of efforts (not just in cohort research but also in the creation of tools and infrastructures).
  3. Combine forces: to achieve better results (e.g., larger sample sizes, stronger powered results, and wider dissemination).
  4. Share approaches: to overcome common encountered obstacles (e.g., shipment of samples across national borders, lack of common dictionaries, electronic tool to link anonymous patient IDs to multiple samples and WPs).
  5. Train: organise training activities for best practices within sub-working groups of interest.
  6. Share documents: of relevance for cohorts and with a view to greater harmonisation (e.g., DPMs, Data Sharing Agreements, Material Transfer Agreements, Informed Consent).

  7. Make recommendations: to the European Commission for future research in this area.

 

Learn more, find useful resources and read the latest updates on the CCB:

CCB Website Orchestra websiteVERDI website