Welcome to the Research Support Centre

Mission:
It is the RSC mission to support local researchers in the design and conduct of clinical research, to introduce ICH-GCP quality research standards, to provide comprehensive ongoing training (GCP, Study Methodology, Data Mgmt, etc.) and to develop a research agenda and climate that will allow successful competition for international grants that impact local health policy.

Rationale:
While numerous faculty members at the College of Medicine (COM) are already involved in clinical research projects, the research agendas have typically been developed by foreign institutions. The goal of the RSC is to strengthen both administrative and research capacity so that ideas generated at the COM can be funded and administered directly.

Organizational Structure and Staffing:
The RSC is organized under the Office of Postgraduate Studies and Research (OPSR) at the COM. The RSC team includes a Director, Grants Officer, Clinical Trials Coordinator, Biostatistician, Clinical Research Associates, Data Manager, Data Officers, Information Services Coordinator and Administrative Assistant.

Funding:
The RSC is funded for a four-year period as part of a collaborative research and training grant involving the COM, the University of Amsterdam and the Liverpool School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The Netherlands African Partnership for Capacity Development and Clinical Interventions against Poverty Related Diseases (NACCAP) is the grant sponsor. The Principal Investigator for the RSC grant is Dr. Michael Boele van Hensbroek, based at Emma Children’s Hospital in Amsterdam. The COM assumes a gradually increasing financial responsibility for the RSC over the four year term of the grant. This will ensure the local ownership and sustainability of the RSC within the COM.