Sponsorship of clinical trials

UCL sponsorship

Sponsorship is a fundamental part of the clinical trials development process. At UCL we focus on a close collaborative relationship between the Joint Research Office (JRO) and the chief investigator (CI) throughout the initial risk assessment, the costing process - including monitoring and trial management - and the development and conduct of the clinical trial.

For clinical trials initiated by staff at the UCLH, Royal Free Hampstead and the Whittington NHS trust sites, UCL is the only sponsor of CTIMPs. However, other NHS trusts closely affiliated to UCL, including Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, will take on the role of sponsor.

If you are planning a CTIMP which you would like UCL to sponsor and you have either a substantive or honorary contract with UCL, the first step is email CTIMPS@ucl.ac.uk.

You are strongly advised to contact the JRO at CTIMPS@ucl.ac.uk as early as possible and a minimum of 8 weeks before submitting any grant application, to allow sufficient time for the team to help you develop your trial costing.

When you have made contact with the JRO, we will send you a straightforward First Contact Questionnaire and request your draft protocol. We will set up a meeting with you to get an understanding of your trial and the resource requirements.

UCL has contracts with several Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) for the delivery of academic clinical trials, including the Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre.