UKCRC Registration Process recognises high quality Clinical Trials Units across the UK

27 November 2007

Forty Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) across the UK have successfully gone through a new UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit Registration Process. Registration is designed to improve the quality and quantity of available expertise to carry out clinical trials in the UK.

The registration process was coordinated by the UK Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre on behalf of the UKCRC. To be eligible to apply for UKCRC Registration, CTUs had to be capable of centrally coordinating multi-centre clinical trials and other well-designed studies, taking overall responsibility for the design, conduct, data management, publicity and analysis of a trial.

CTUs were required to meet a number of key competencies, which were assessed against detailed evaluation criteria and reviewed by an international panel. These included a track record of experience in coordinating multi-centre clinical trials, presence of expert staff and robust quality assurance systems, and evidence of long term viability of capacity for trials coordination.

The CTUs that met all of these criteria received Full Registration. CTUs that were clearly working towards developing sufficient expertise to enable Full Registration, but which did not yet meet all of the criteria relating to infrastructure, resources and experience required, received Provisional Registration. Twenty-six CTUs were awarded Full Registration, and fourteen were awarded Provisional Registration.

The full list of successful CTUs is available on the UK Clinical Research Network website.

Link to full press release