ECRIN

ECRIN ERIC: European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network – European Research Infrastructure Consortium

In Europe it is very difficult to run investigator-driven clinical research across the borders, because multinational clinical research is hampered by the fragmentation of health and legislative systems.

Therefore, the European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network - European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ECRIN-ERIC) was developed by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). Funded by the FP6 and FP7 (EU Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development) it is designed to foster multinational clinical research in Europe.

ECRIN-ERIC is a not-for-profit organisation, which is primarily based on the collaboration with national coordinating networks of clinical research centres (CRC) and clinical trial units (CTU), acting in any medical field. ECRIN–ERIC provides information, consulting and services to investigators and sponsors in the preparation and in the conduct of multinational clinical studies, for any category of clinical research and in any disease area.

Currently, 14 European countries participate in this initiative aiming at preparing the grounds for facilitated international collaboration in clinical research, which is particularly relevant for investigator-initiated studies or for clinical research on rare diseases.

The SCTO is involved as national information hub and cooperation platform and actively participates in several ECRIN Working Groups.