What is the aim of the project
The aim of the project is to establish a shared services center - Clinical Research Support Center (CWBK WUM - UCK WUM). It will host innovative, multicenter non-commercial and commercial clinical trials based on the structures of MUW and UCC MUW. The creation of the Center will enable cooperation between specialists from different fields, e.g.: scientists, statisticians, clinicians and clinical research specialists, it will allow the exchange of knowledge and its best use in practice. It is worth noting that today, more often the research team requires not only skills related to technology development, but also negotiation skills, organizational skills, project management or demonstrating competitive advantage.
So what will it take to establish a Clinical Research Support Center?
- create an orderly and effective organizational structure,
- hire personnel with relevant competencies in innovative medical technologies, with a particular focus on digital technologies and translational medicine,
- standardize the operational processes involved in conducting clinical trials based on a Lean management approach.
Support for organizational processes must be strengthened by providing adequate infrastructure for universities and clinical hospitals conducting clinical trials.
Who will benefit from this and how
- The project to establish the Clinical Research Support Center (CWBK) has a high scientific and innovative value, which results from the synergy of didactic, scientific and clinical activities - says Dorota Szubstarska, Director of Scientific and Didactic Projects MUW. And she stresses that having an expanded structure provides access to a broad patient base, which allows for efficient recruitment for clinical and scientific research on a European scale. - Nearly 175,000 hospitalizations and 700,000 counseling sessions per year at the WUM-UCK WUM Consortium facilities create the potential for numerous and varied research projects.
Dorota Szubstarska also points out the innovation of the project, which is the introduction of a modern organizational model to improve the management of clinical trials and the integration of their results into the health care system.
- The project involves the development of a model incorporating a holistic approach to therapy, management of patient pathways, drugs, biological material, using Lean Management and Lean Healthcare. It also fits in with the needs of the health care system, supporting the introduction of innovative therapies and drugs, as well as providing patients with access to modern treatments - says Dorota Szubstarska.
The project is also expected to generate operational savings, minimize costs associated with external services, and ensure long-term revenues by commercializing research results. The Clinical Research Support Center (CWBK WUM-UCKWUM) is undoubtedly an innovative project. This can be evidenced, among other things, by proposals to combine various IT systems into a single entity, which will allow more efficient management of data and processes. One of the key outcomes will be the ability to use artificial intelligence to analyze large data sets, identify new biomarkers and develop more personalized therapies for patients.
The project is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2026. The preparation of the proposal was the responsibility of the University Clinical Research Support Center - Dr. Anna Chróścicka and team, with the support of Dorota Szubstarska - in whose organizational structures the University Clinical Research Support Center (AOWBK) functions. The University Clinical Research Support Center was established on October 25, 2022, in accordance with the Rector's Order No. 204/2022.
About the ABM competition
The competition for the establishment and development of the Clinical Research Support Centers (CWBK) was conducted within the framework of the National Plan for Rehabilitation and Resilience Enhancement (KPO), Component D Efficiency, Accessibility and Quality of the Health System, Investment D3.1.1 Comprehensive development of research in medical and health sciences.
The call for applications lasted from July 18, 2024 to September 30, 2024. 16 applications were submitted as part of the competition. After formal and substantive evaluation, 10 projects were recommended for support, for a total amount of PLN 162,675,628.52.
This was already the fourth edition of the competition. Thanks to it, it was possible to fill all the white spots in Poland, i.e. the provinces that so far did not have their own Clinical Research Support Center. This means that soon there will be a total of 33 such centers on the map of our country, which will increase the chances of patients to participate in innovative therapies, regardless of where they live.