About
The RCSI Clinical Research Centre (RCSI CRC) provides state-of-the-art facilities and expertise to enable investigators to conduct clinical research to the highest standards.
The centre is located on the Beaumont Hospital campus in Dublin, which is Ireland’s second largest hospital; the main teaching hospital and academic partner for RCSI; and the national and regional centre for many specialties including neurosurgery, neurology, renal transplantation, rare lung diseases, pituitary and adrenal endocrinology, gastroenterology and infectious diseases. The close proximity between the hospital and RCSI CRC allows for synergy with clinicians to deliver seamless translational research and impactful clinical trials.
Today, RCSI CRC supports research across a broad spectrum of clinical areas and has developed particular expertise in core areas which align with the clinical strengths of the services provided in Beaumont Hospital, including:
- Respiratory
- Critical care medicine and anaesthesia
- Endocrinology
- Neurology
- Infectious diseases
- Nephrology
- Stroke medicine
- Sleep apnoea
- Medical devices
- Biobanking
RCSI CRC provides physician investigators with a unique facility and a comprehensive range of support systems for clinical research with the capability to conduct research in all therapeutic areas. The outputs from the centre have been recognised in high-impact journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and other highly cited clinical papers, resulting in practice changing outcomes for patients. The centre provides examination rooms, inpatient and outpatient beds, procedure rooms and ancillary services required for the delivery of world-class patient focused research.
Key areas of support to the physician investigators include a management structure to oversee and perform clinical trials and provide support in regulatory compliance. The research nurse team has extensive experience in working with ethical and regulatory requirements and is optimally positioned to deal with the flexibility required to respond to the rapidly changing demands of a dynamic research environment.
The centre takes a leading role in supporting research nurse education and development, from the provision of postgraduate educational opportunities, to the establishment and ongoing support of the Irish Research Nurses and Midwives Network (IRNM). RCSI CRC is the leading provider of good clinical practice (GCP) training, not only for investigational medicinal product (IMP) trials, but also GCP in medical device research and sponsor responsibilities. The provision of train-the-trainer courses for other centres has allowed these institutions to adapt RCSI CRC courses for their own use locally. The centre also provides continuing education for research nurses and midwives and other healthcare disciplines in the coordination and management of clinical research.
National and international networking and collaboration are fundamental to research quality and growth, and RCSI CRC is committed to active engagement with research partners. The centre is an active member of the HRB National Clinical Trials Office Network (HRB-NCTO) participating in the NCTO Co-Applicant Committee, Stakeholder and Management Committee and national working groups, including quality, costing, feasibility and start-up and medtech. Core RCSI CRC staff are active members of national/international working groups and committees, including IRNM, UK/Ireland branch of the International Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN), UK Clinical Research Facilities Network (UKCRF) workstreams and the European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN).