Table 1 Characteristics of participants

All profile groups involved in the collaboration (n = 20)

 Biomedical researchers and health care professionals

4

20

 Biomedical researchers, health care professionals and clinical researchers

8

40

 Biomedical researchers, health care professionals, clinical researchers and specialists

3

15

 Biomedical researchers, health care professionals, specialists, clinical researchers and patients, citizens or users*

3

15

 Biomedical researchers, health care professionals, clinical researchers and patients, citizens or users*

2

10

Field of study of biomedical researchers (n = 20)

 Biomedicine

2

10

 Neurosciences

2

10

 Cell biology

1

5

 Lipidology

1

5

 Molecular biology

1

5

 Neurointerventional research

1

5

 Mixed**

6

30

 Biomedicine

3

50

 Biotechnology

2

33

 Stem cell therapy

2

33

 Analytical chemistry

1

17

 Bioinformatics

1

17

 Biomaterials

1

17

 Cellomics

1

17

 Cell biology

1

17

 Cell Technology

1

17

 Chemistry

1

17

 Developmental biology and birth defects

1

17

 Energy

1

17

 Environmental biological technology

1

17

 Gene targeting

1

17

 Genomics

1

17

 Laparoscope technology

1

17

 Materials science

1

17

 Microscopy

1

17

 Molecular biology

1

17

 Pluripotent cell technology

1

17

 Proteomics

1

17

 Transgenesis

1

17

 Viral vectors

1

17

 Missing

6

30

Types of health care professional (except specialists, n=20)**

 Physicians

13

65

 Nurses

4

20

 Pharmacists

1

5

 Dietitians

1

5

 Laboratory technicians

1

5

 Public health practitioners

1

5

Presence of clinical researchers (n = 20)

 Yes

15

75

 No

4

20

 Missing

1

5

Type of clinical researchers (n = 15)

 Clinician-researchers

3

20

 Clinician and non-clinician-researchers

1

7

 Missing

11

73

Presence of specialists (n = 20)

 Yes

7

35

 No

3

15

 Missing

10

50

Field of expertise of the specialists (n = 7)

 Mixed**

6

86

 Cardiology

3

50

 Epidemiology

2

33

 Pharmacology

2

33

 Atherothrombosis and Imaging

1

17

 Genetic medicine

1

17

 Internal medicine

1

17

 Nephrology

1

17

 Cardiovascular development and repair

1

17

 Community health

1

17

 Family and community medicine

1

17

 General medicine

1

17

 Geriatric

1

17

 Methodology in clinical research

1

17

 Neurology

1

17

 Psychiatry

1

17

 Public health

1

17

 Vascular biology and inflammation

1

17

 Vascular medicine

1

17

 Missing

1

14

Presence of patients, citizens or users (n = 20)

 Yes

7

35

 “Patients”

2

29

 “Patients and citizens”

2

29

 “Patients and users”

1

13

 “Patients, citizens and users”

2

29

 No

13

65

Roles of patients (n = 7)

 Patient participants****

4

70

 Patient partners

3

30

Roles of citizens or users (n = 6)

 Caregivers

1

17

 General public

1

17

 Policy and decision-makers

1

17

 Mixed**

3

49

 Academia

1

33

 Charities

1

33

 Clients and/or their representatives

1

33

 Caregivers

1

33

 Funding agency

1

33

 Health care directors

1

33

 National Health System

1

33

 Patient organizations

1

33

 Pharmaceutical company representatives

1

33

 Policy and decision-makers

1

33

 Regulatory science experts

1

33

 Scientific societies

1

33

 Stakeholders

1

33

 Teachers

1

33