National CRC Education and Development
Skilled Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs) play an important role in supporting research investigators in the execution of quality clinical research. Maintaining a well-trained talent pool of CRCs was critical in Singapore’s pursuit to be a leading centre for healthcare innovation, as well as retaining its attractiveness as a site for clinical trials.
In 2017, the Ministry of Health tasked SCRI with the implementation of national training programmes for CRCs and set aside funding for development of CRCs. SCRI consulted the Subject Matter Experts, such as Health Sciences Authority (HSA), and collaborated with various local and overseas education partners to develop a series of structured national CRC training programmes.
The series of structured programmes by SCRI Academy provides a stepwise training for the CRCs to improve on their clinical research knowledge and skills to support their career progression.
Watch the video of the SCRI 3rd Annual Scientific Symposium & Launch of SCRI Academy here:
Past and Present Collaborations:
Apart from understanding the requirements, policies and regulations involved in the conduct of a clinical trial, it is also vital for the CRCs to have the ability to apply the theoretical concepts to real-life situations. Therefore, the programmes were designed with comprehensive practice-based activities, case scenarios, demonstrations and classroom discussions to reinforce the application work.
Below are the National CRC Training and Certification Programmes:
- CRC Level 1 Programme A 7-week training course that offers a comprehensive introduction to the on-site operations of clinical trials from protocol feasibility to study start-up, ethics and regulation, recruitment and study closure. It is targeted at CRCs with less than a year of experience. Click here for more details.
- CRC Level 2 Programme A 6-day training course that empower CRCs with project management skills and the ability to coordinate investigator-initiated clinical research studies with reasonable degree of proficiency across a range of study designs. It is targeted at Senior CRCs or equivalent with at least 2 years of experience in coordinating clinical research studies and performing subject recruitment, informed consent and/or subject follow-up. Click here for more details.
- CRC Level 3 Programme An advance 5-day training course designed to develop the essential capabilities critical to the role of a Senior CRC in supporting the management in planning the departmental activities and managing a clinical research team. The programme covers the key operational, leadership and technical elements related to clinical research operation. It is targeted at Senior CRCs and above with at least 5 years of experience in coordinating clinical research studies, who are also involved in conducting quality compliance check and developing study documents and workflow. Click here for more details.
In addition to the structured training programmes, SCRI Academy also provides other training workshops and awards to recognize the CRCs effort in contributing to Singapore clinical research ecosystem.
- The Essentials of Clinical Trials for Beginners (e-Learning) A 16-week introductory e-learning course that provides you with an overview of the key activities in the conduct of clinical trials, ranging from study development, ethics, subject recruitment, study monitoring to trial closure. Click here for more details.
- CRC Lunch Workshop (free) To ensure the CRCs stay abreast of the latest updates and trends in clinical research ecosystem, speakers from the regulatory, public healthcare institutes and commercial multinational corporations were invited to share about various aspects of clinical trial management and their best practices with the CRCs. This light-hearted annual lunch workshop provides an opportunity for the CRCs from different public healthcare institutes to mingle, network and gain deeper insights on industry best practices.
Click the links below to find out more about the past CRC Lunch Workshops:
- Distinguished Contributor Award for CRCsThe Distinguished Contributor Award for CRCs is given by SCRI Academy to recognize the contributions of outstanding CRCs and their significant contributions to the profession and community in Singapore. The award includes a professional development grant to enable the CRC awardee to further enhance his/her skillsets as a CRC. Click here for more details.
To date, 18 outstanding CRCs from various public healthcare institutes have received the award. Click the links below to find out more about the past CRC awardees: