From Collaboration to Preparedness: Strengthening Clinical Research in Primary Care
Wrapping up two productive days of collaborative exchanges and knowledge sharing, our primary care national coordinating teams from 10 countries gathered in Utrecht to reflect on the progress of two research projects on respiratory illness and discuss opportunities for further optimisation and future collaboration.
The meetings, organised by UMC Utrecht and Ecraid on 8 – 9 May, brought together 38 representatives from 10 countries involved in the EU-funded ECRAID-Prime adaptive platform trial and ECRAID-Base POS-ARI-PC study, both aimed at bolstering Europe's primary care capacity for rapid clinical research response to new and emerging outbreaks.
The national coordinating teams presented updates on recruitment progress, key achievements and discussed challenges encountered during the startup and ongoing recruitment phases. The goal was to foster open dialogue and encourage sharing of ideas and practical knowledge to support the successful execution, as well as long-term continuation and impact of the studies.
“I am very proud of our teams, and what we have collaboratively achieved in primary care research. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for our country teams to meet and share insights with one another, celebrate what’s been achieved, and also to look ahead for how we can maintain momentum beyond the funding period of our projects.”
- Alike van der Velden, coordinating investigator for both the ECRAID-Prime and POS-ARI-PC studies.
Why clinical trial networks matter for pandemic preparedness
A key focus of the meeting was growth and sustainability of the primary care research network, enabling the continuation of the platform trial and perpetual observational study. Participants highlighted progress and challenges in conducting primary care research in their countries with their GP practices and discussed strategies to sustain and expand this valuable research network, as an important part of Europe’s preparedness for future infectious disease threats.
Europe’s only primary care research network – comprising 18 national coordinating teams that each manage and collaborate with between 5 – 15 primary care practices – has its roots in the early 2000s, beginning with the EU-funded GRACE project. Built over two decades of collaboration across numerous EU-funded projects and initiatives, this network is the result of EU investments in clinical research capacity, grounded in long-standing partnerships and trusted collaborations.
Today, it stands as one of several ‘warm-base’ clinical research networks being developed and expanded across Europe under the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme. This long-term strategy aims to establish a robust clinical research infrastructure by bringing together the expertise, data and capabilities of the best scientists, research institutions and participating GP practices. The goal is clear: to enable a rapid and coordinated response to emerging infectious disease threats.
“Primary care is a vital part of a resilient clinical research network, as general practitioners are often the first to detect infections. Having a warm-base network of prepared GP practices, alongside hospitals, ensures we can quickly initiate and conduct critical research to generate the evidence needed for effective public health responses.”
- Miranda Hopman, Head of CLIN-Net, Ecraid’s hospital network
“What we’ve achieved in the past 20 years is completely historic in design and delivery. There is no other primary care network in Europe that are conducting the studies that we are, has a platform trial that is currently standing and open in eight countries. We are a vital part of Europe’s pandemic preparedness infrastructure, and I am very proud to be working with a group of such talented and dedicated experts and primary care partners.”
- Chris Butler, principal investigator for ECRAID-Prime and POS-ARI-PC
What our national coordinating teams say...
“It was a great opportunity meeting colleagues from across networks and countries – connecting and communicating in person makes a huge difference that truly enriches our collaboration, learning from each other, and exploration of strategies to make our network stronger and more sustainable. We only can reach this goal by working closely together.”
- Nguyen Tran, Senior Trial Manager from the University of Oxford, UK
"A highlight of the meeting was getting to meet and interact with my fellow NCTs, learn from their experiences, strengths, and limitations, and share feedback with the Ecraid operations team. This prompted possible avenues for improving our processes and recruitment efforts. Moving forward, a strong and well-connected European primary care research network – supported by new studies to keep our sites active – is critical to keeping our network alive and ready to meet future medical challenges."
- Ramon Monfà Escolà, Clinical Trials Manager and Monitor from Jordi Gol Primary Care Research Institute Foundation (IDIAPJGol), Spain
Click on the image below to watch the highlights of the meeting.
Till our next meeting!
Alike concluded, “A big thank you to all our national coordinating teams for their insights, dedication, and ongoing commitment to our studies’ goals. A next meeting is being planned to continue the dialogue, and more information will be shared later.”
More information
+ About the ECRAID-Prime trial
+ About the POS-ARI-PC study (Perpetual Observational Study on Acute Respiratory tract Infection in Primary Care)