CRIGH activities will be based on strategic plans adopted every two years by the Management Board. Initial focus areas will include six projects:
- Infrastructure and funding: developing a network of high-quality and interoperable clinical trial centres supporting investigation and trial management, with national, regional and global networking, and promoting funding sources for independent, international trials.
- Global core competencies: promoting harmonised education, training and careers for investigators and clinical research professionals.
- Research ethics: promoting quality, consistency and training for research ethics committees.
- Patient involvement: fostering the involvement of patients as trial participants and in trial design, definition of outcome measures, and establishment of research priorities.
- Comparative effectiveness research and socio-economic impact: promoting methodologies for efficient comparison of treatment strategies, and assessing the medical, social and economic impact of evidence generated.
- Clinical trials data management: addressing the emerging issues for data sharing and developing common standards for clinical data management (national level).
Activities will aim to facilitate international cooperation for both commercial and non-commercial trials. However, CRIGH will primarily focus on investigator-initiated trials and clinical research conducted by public research organisations for the benefit of global health, where the need to support international collaboration is the highest. At the same time, a substantial amount of the initiative’s proposed work is also relevant for the health industry and especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).