The HRB CRF-C at University College Cork and Mercy University Hospital provides the dedicated infrastructure and experienced research staff working to the required international quality standards that are critical for the successful conduct of regulated and other forms of complex patient-focused research. It was established in 2011 and is co-funded by the Health Research Board and the College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork with the dual purpose of facilitating the high-quality conduct of patient-focused research in UCC and it’s affiliated Hospitals in the South/ South West Hospital Group which collectively have a catchment population of almost 1 million people and mitigating all elements of risk in the conduct of such research to all parties involved.
The HRB Clinical Research Facility, Galway (CRFG) is a joint venture between Galway University Hospitals, Saolta, and NUI Galway and has been in operation since March 2008. The HRB-CRFG provides the infrastructure, physical space, facilities, expertise and culture needed to optimally support bioscience research. We focus on studies aimed at understanding a range of diseases and speedily translating the knowledge obtained through this research work into reimbursed, regulatory approved advances inpatient care. The CRFG provides clinical support, project management and study coordination, biometrics, pharmacy support, quality support, collaboration on Horizon 2020 and education programmes.
The RCSI Clinical Research Centre (CRC) was the first purpose-built clinical research centre in Ireland when it opened in September 2000 (funded by RCSI). The centre is located at Beaumont Hospital – one of RCSI’s principal teaching hospitals in Dublin – which supports its translational focus and clinic-based research studies. The CRC provides high-quality translational research facilities and expertise to enable investigators to conduct clinical studies to the highest standards. Facilities include general research laboratories, examination rooms, inpatient and outpatient beds, procedure rooms equipped for gene therapy and ancillary services consistent with a world-class research facility.
- UCD Clinical Research Centre (CRC) at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St. Vincent’s University Hospital
The UCD Clinical Research Centre (CRC) supports research across a wide range of disease areas with an emphasis on translational research. The UCD CRC provides a range of core scientific services, which directly support its extensive portfolio of clinical research. Scientific services activities cover both the provision of state-of-the-art facilities, as well as technical support and biomarker expertise. The UCD CRC has a significant track record in supporting clinical trials. From single site, to multi national, from investigator-led to industry-sponsored, from Phase 2a to Phase 4, it has undertaken over 150 clinical trials and have significant experience and knowledge of both the regulatory and the operational environment. It was estimated in 2006 with funding from HEA investment for the initial 3 years and now from the UCD School of Medicine (including other leveraged funding).
The Wellcome – HRB CRF at St. James’s Hospital is a partnership between Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and St. James’s Hospital and is funded by the Wellcome and the HRB. The 1,300m2 facility was opened by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, on the 30th May 2013 and is located in the heart of St. James’s Hospital, under the directorship of Martina Hennessy, Associate Professor in Trinity’s School of Medicine. Facilities include clinical consulting rooms, a six-bed day ward, isolation rooms, a research pharmacy, a compounding unit for handling novel therapeutics including cytotoxic compounds, and dedicated Neurophysiology, Neuropsychology and Exercise Physiology resources as it aims to be an internationally recognised leading centre of excellence in clinical research.
- National Children’s Research Centre at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin
The National Children’s Research Centre has been in existence for over 50 years and has been funded since its inception by the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF). Situated on the grounds of the largest children’s hospital in Ireland, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, the Centre was established with the key aim to improve the lives and health of children through research. As part of the NCRC, the Children’s Clinical Research Unit (CCRU) was established in 2010 and it provides the expertise, dedicated infrastructure and resources required to assist Clinical Teams and Industry Sponsors to conduct clinical research at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, and other hospitals across Ireland. Clinical trials provide the strongest evidence base to select the most effective and safe medicines and treatments, however, conducting these requires resources and expertise. Together with the Clinical Teams, we are striving to increase the number of studies to ensure that more children have the opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, research within the hospital and wider research community.
- Health Research Institute (HRI) Clinical Research Support Unit (CRSU) at the University of Limerick and University Limerick Hospitals
The HRI Clinical Research Support Unit (CRSU) is an integral part of the HRI to support clinical research at a number of sites including the UL campus, UL Hospitals sites and primary community care health settings establised in 2014. The CRSU maximises the impact of the research activities of the HRI by establishing partnerships with other institutions locally, nationally and internationally. The CRSU serves as the co-ordinating unit for UL led studies, single site or multi-site. In cases where UL is part of a multi-site project but is not the lead site, the CRSU acts as the link for the lead site, to engage with UL researchers and clinicians via a Memorandum of Understanding with UL Hospitals (and further partnerships as they develop). HRI CRSU activities involving UL Hospitals staff is conducted through a sub-unit, the UL/UL Hospitals Clinical Research Unit (CRU). The UL/UL Hospitals CRU is a jointly governed and resourced unit established to promote clinical research among UL and UL Hospitals staff.