Our Memorandum of Understanding

The C³ Memorandum of Understanding serves as our guiding principles in establishing and operating a consortium of COS groups in dermatology and related areas who will collaborate in achieving our collective mission.  

1. C³ is a global research organization focused on supporting the development and implementation of high-quality COS for clinical trials and practice in dermatology and related areas, and principled on inclusiveness with respect to participants and stakeholders.
   
   
2. C³ supports the premise that patient research partners should have a fundamental role in the development, dissemination, and implementation of COS.
   
   
3. A COS group may join the C³ consortium if it shares the same ethos outlined in articles (1) and (2). It does so as a partner in the consortium with the commitment to providing bidirectional support (i.e. knowledge and expertise) to the other COS groups.
   
   
4. A primary aim of C³ will be to assist COS groups with methods support for all steps, from protocol writing to COS implementation. COS groups agree to adhere to the development process in accordance with C³ methodology, building upon methods established by HOME, CS-COUSIN and COMET, to ensure scientific rigor and quality of COS outputs.
   
   
5. C³ intends to organize meetings, at least annually, at which COS groups may develop work, as well as present work in order to share knowledge and experience with the consortium and receive feedback and guidance from the consortium.
   
   
6. Any intellectual property (IP) created by a COS group is owned by the individual creators of the IP. C³ as an organization makes no claims on IP as it pertains to the work product of its consortium COS groups.
   
   
7. Authorships and declaration of Conflicts of Interest on publications resulting from Group and/or Consortium effort will be based on recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Groups should acknowledge C³ in their research presentations and publications.
   
   
8. C³ intends to support general consortium scientific activities (i.e., research meetings, special projects, methods support) and operations (i.e., administration, website maintenance, newsletters, financial reporting) through fundraising (i.e., grants, sponsorships, philanthropy). While individual COS groups should make efforts to procure funding for their research activities, there is no requirement to obtain funding.
   
   
9. The CHORD Foundation is the non-profit charitable corporation for C³. Its operational goals include sustainability, and not profitability.