Buoyed by increasing interest in running clinical trials abroad, India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is putting $1 million toward the establishment of clinical research training centers in order to ensure high quality of research. This is essential if the country is going to continue and expand it’s offerings to pharmas and CROs looking to work in India. Officials plan for the centers to “train clinical researchers, help set up functional ethics committees across the country, iron out customs issues, conduct research, and act as a single point of contact for all clinical research purposes.†According to a recent report, contract research in India is growing at a rate of about 25 percent per year. DBT Secretary Maharaj K. Bhan said some centers will be operational by early next year. Report