INC Research has teamed up with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) to help the public gain better awareness of clinical trials.
The nonprofit CISCRP and CRO INC will launch what it is calling the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon, which kicks off June 1 and culminates with an event Sept. 27-28 at District Hall in Boston, MA.
The events are designed to provide a “forum for stakeholders” from across the clinical research environment to share and develop their ideas to increase the awareness of clinical trials among patients, healthcare professionals and the general public, according to a joint release.
In a recent survey conducted by CISCRP, it found that 81% of participants agreed with the importance of clinical research to discovery and development of new medicines--and 80% said they would be willing to participate in a research study. However, current data suggest less than 5% of the population ever participate in a clinical trial, with the greatest cause being lack of awareness.
“Clinical research is vital to the development of new drugs and treatments, but it is entirely dependent on patient participation,” said Clare Grace, VP of site and patient access, INC Research ($INCR).
“The ‘Inspiring Hope’ Ideathon is the first initiative of its kind designed to generate new and unique ways to help raise awareness through a competition format. Together with CISCRP, our goal is to build a community of problem-solving advocates to present creative ideas that are feasible, sustainable and create a long-term impact in the broader clinical research community. We encourage industry thought leaders and clinical research advocates alike to contribute their visions for shifting the paradigm and improving healthcare quality and standards through clinical research.”
Ken Getz, CISCRP’s founder, added: “The Ideathon aims to tap into this rich pool of ideas and hopefully energize and mobilize this broad community of stakeholders to contribute to this important discussion. We're looking for diverse teams to push their thinking, and to take really creative ideas to the next level. Ultimately, the best collective ideas will inspire new thinking, new approaches and new solutions.”
The “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon is modeled after crowd-solving events conducted in many other industries and amongst entrepreneurial groups, especially in the tech space. These kind of events attempt to rapidly solve a problem with a large group of people in a competitive style.
By bringing perspectives to the table from all different facets of the clinical research enterprise, INC Research and CISCRP say they aim to build a “community of advocates committed to increasing ongoing participation in clinical trials, stimulating more active engagement within the broader community and better recognizing trial volunteers.”
Idea applications will be accepted June 1 through Aug. 8, 2016, and will be evaluated on: innovation, feasibility, sustainability and impact.
Submitted applications will be shortlisted and finalists will be invited to the Ideathon event Sept. 27-28 in Boston where they will collaborate live with a multifunctional team in a crowd-solving environment to further develop and ultimately present their solution to an expert judging panel.
The 2016 “Inspiring Hope” Award winner will be named at the conclusion of the event, and INC Research along with CISCRP will work together with the winning team to progress the chosen idea into a viable solution.
- check out the release