Finding New Commercial Studies

Commercial Sponsors (and or Contract Research Organisations (CRO's)) will often directly email research-active Clinicians about new and upcoming trials in their specialty. Sponsors may use their own EOI forms independently of the NIHR EOI process. 

Once you have worked with a CRO or sponsor successfully, they will often directly contact a clinician and or study team at site. They will send a site identification form directly to the site to complete and build up a working relationship with said site. Should the site continuously deliver studies successfully, it may be the CRO or sponsor contacts the site about new and upcoming trials early on in the site selection process. If you are contacted directly it is a good idea to check with the RDN to find out if the study is a NIHR Portfolio supported study before replying to the Sponsor

1. Submit EOIs as soon as they become available. The quicker the sponsors receive information about feasibility the more likely they are to select you and also approach you in the future.

2. Create a template EOI form you can use to tailor according to the study to reduce workload and increase number of EOIs you can submit at once. The NIHR RDN may already have collaborated with your R&D department to create these templates.

3. Site selection is PI focused, have a list of available PIs with their specialty and experience on your website or somewhere readily available.