As Asia expects rapid growth, ACRP and Singapore institute team to train CRC workforce

22-Feb-2018 - Last updated on 22-Feb-2018 at 14:58 GMT

(Image: Getty/g-stockstudio)

ACRP is partnering with a Singapore-based institute to ensure the workforce is appropriately trained ahead of anticipated growth in clinical trials throughout Asia.

The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) and Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) yesterday announced the new partnership through which the organizations aim to increase clinical research coordinator (CRC) professionalism in Singapore.

The Singapore Ministry of Health recently set aside $35m to help train and develop CRCs in the region. The investment will fund the salaries of 100 CRCs over the next five years, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). The funds will also pay for national training and certification programs via the new SCRI Academy.

“If the predicted growth in clinical trials throughout Asia comes to fruition, it’s going to require a significant expansion of the workforce,” Jim Kremidas, ACRP executive director, told us. “And as you bring new talent in, it’s critical to ensure those individuals are trained appropriately to develop the standard core competencies required of CRCs.”

As Outsourcing-Pharma.com reported last year, the CRO market in Asia is expected to see a significant increase through 2020. The report, published by Frost & Sullivan, predicts the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.4% to reach $57bn in 2020 – up from $31.8bn in 2015.

Through its partnership with ACRP, SCRI will employ aspects of the association’s Clinical Research Coordinator Boot Camp. The 5-day training program covers tasks related to informed consent, IRB submissions, study visits, essential documents, safety report, monitoring visits, and inspections – and can be implemented at clinical research sits globally.

ACRP also recently worked with a group of industry stakeholders to develop core competency guidelines for CRCs to help standardize global CRC competency. It has also established CRA guidelines and will be addressing other role in the near future, Kremidas said.

“One key way to enhance quality is to standardize the competencies required for the various roles in clinical research,” he said.

“Our training programs are aligned with these competencies and are built to rapidly develop them to ensure CRCs can immediately and effectively contribute to site operations, so it’s an ideal solution for markets anticipating rapid growth in trial conduct.”