News
TrusTECH Secures Knowledge Transfer Partnership for ACTNoW®
A new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between TrusTECH and the University of Manchester Business School
is set to further develop ACTNoW – the clinical trial placement and clinical expertise service for the North of
England.
The partnership aims to reverse the decline in clinical trials in the UK, by integrating and expanding existing
databases of active NHS investigators and clinical expertise vital for supporting clinical trials.
The KPT will attract £120k to fund a full-time post and help to develop the resource.
Summary aims of the partnership:
- Develop the strategic business model for a pooled NHS Innovations clinical trial placement resource.
- Expand and enhance the resource to ensure the information needs of stakeholders are met and to maximise its functionality for users.
- Explore the potential to extend the resource at a national level.
UK clinical trial activity is in decline and this is not just down to cost. In 2004, TrusTECH demonstrated through
a clinical trial mapping project (commissioned by the Northwest Regional Development Agency [NWDA]) that a lack of accurate information on UK NHS research capacity and infrastructure was a major obstacle for trial placement1.
Online Database of Clinical Contacts and Expertise
Initially a resource developed for the North West, as an output of the clinical trials mapping project1, ACTNoW is an online searchable database of experienced NHS trial investigators and clinical expertise. Developed and hosted by the three Northern NHS Innovation Hubs (TrusTECH for the North West, Medipex® for Yorkshire and Humberside and NHS Innovations North for the North East) the resource is being rolled out to cover the whole of the North of England and to include medical device expertise – enabling both Pharmaceutical and Medical Device companies wishing to place clinical trials/investigations to access NHS expertise.
Mr Adrian Warner, ACTNoW Business Development Manager explains that, “The datasets the NHS Innovation Hubs hold are unique and already a powerful resource for organisations wanting to place clinical trials. I’m looking forward to working with the other hubs and Manchester Business School, to develop a more operationally and strategically robust tool that will make a significant difference to organisations wanting to place clinical trials in the UK.”
For further information about ACTNoW, click here or contact Adrian Warner, ACTNoW Business Development Manager (T: 0161 901 2511).