# Harmonist: A Scalable Toolkit for Standardizing and Coordinating Data Sharing Across International Research Networks

> **NIH NIH R24** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $1,631,071

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The substantial time and effort required to harmonize data for global multi-cohort collaborations can lead to
research delays, particularly given heterogeneity in data, data management capacity, and data sharing
regulations. The goal of the Harmonist project is to develop data standards, software, and methods that help
HIV observational research consortia to coordinate multiregional research projects and apply data
management best practices more effectively and efficiently. To promote reusability, Harmonist tools are built
(when feasible) as shareable External Modules for the widely used Research Electronic Data Capture
(REDCap) software, which is in use at over 4,450 institutions in 138 countries as of mid-2020. The initial
Harmonist suite of tools includes the Harmonist Hub, a platform for scientific project and portfolio management,
and the Data Toolkit, a web-based system for data quality checking and secure data exchange.
The Harmonist project aims to (1) strengthen data harmonization and consortium support for the International
epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) consortium, including providing a new data framework for
IeDEA prospective studies, (2) expand support to the Regional Prospective Observational Research for
Tuberculosis (RePORT) International consortium, which studies TB in the context of HIV, and (3) support bi-
directional mentorship and sharing around Harmonist tools, data management best practices, and data
standards.
This proposal is a collaboration among research informatics experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, all
seven regional networks of IeDEA, and RePORT International. These partnerships ensure that all components
of Harmonist address real-world user needs in a practical manner and provide the tools with a dedicated user
base. We believe that these research tools can reduce the time and effort needed for critical data management
and administrative tasks that underlie the role of observational HIV cohorts studying the global epidemic. The
modular infrastructure we have designed can adapt to diverse research settings and expand to include new
data types and sources as the understanding of HIV evolves. The resulting shareable software and mentoring
resources will provide tangible immediate and long-term benefits to IeDEA, RePORT, and the broader HIV
research community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10869866
- **Project number:** 5R24AI124872-10
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephany Norah Duda
- **Activity code:** R24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,631,071
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-05-25 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10869866

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10869866, Harmonist: A Scalable Toolkit for Standardizing and Coordinating Data Sharing Across International Research Networks (5R24AI124872-10). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10869866. Licensed CC0.

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