5. Our advice

In addition to the organization you've put in place, you need to make sure that people are located where they need to be. Not everything can be done in a virtual team. R&D requires often impromptu discussions to compare knowledge. Team autonomy is important: give them the opportunity to propose topics for further study, and leave it up to them to decide on the scientific approach adopted. Get your message across: openness to the outside world is essential. Researchers must be accountable: ask them to keep a record of their activities.