Clinical research centre

The Clinical Research Centre of the University of Tartu (UT) and Tartu University Hospital (TUH):

• Competence centre for the clinical research in Estonia
• Leveraging joint capabilities of UT and TUH, involving partners from all Estonian institutions, dealing with clinical research
• The aim is to ensure high-level medical experimental studies and academic clinical as well pharmaceutical industry trials

International landscape of clinical research is constantly evolving: data on the etiology and pathogenesis of diseases are being supplemented, new bioresources and biobanks are added, data received from various national and international databases create new opportunities for conducting research-based trials and analysing already collected data. The international pharmaceutical industry is moving rapidly in the direction of efficient and revenue-based models for conducting clinical research. A new trend is developing strongly: research projects initiated by the researcher and planned in cooperation with the pharmaceutical industry.

To further expand national and international competitiveness and cooperation, it is the key element to have a strong support system for the doctors, researchers, doctoral students, residents and research teams engaged in trials.

All the activities of The Clinical Research Centre are aimed at creating a supportive environment for researchers to conduct trials.

Main Services

Providing the highest standard support in execution of clinical research

• Bringing together different parties involved in research.
• Keeping and updating the TUH research register, issuing the institutional confirmation for conducting research, ensuring an updated data flow to the statistics desk.
• Creating and updating TUH’s standardized research procedures.
• Reviewing and monitoring the execution of clinical research and development contracts.
• Providing a certified training courses about following good clinical practices.
• Implementing data monitoring and quality control on academic  and scientific research.
• Providing ethical and data protection inputs for the project applications and for the clinical research approval applications. 

Ensuring standardized handling of databases and collections of biological material.

• Creating and maintaining the databases based on clinical research, consulting.
• Management of central and dispersed collections of biological materials.
• Providing training courses about collecting and maintaining biological materials.

Research communication, promotion of cooperation with UT faculties and institutes and other research and development institutions, Estonian hospitals, companies, state institutions and foreign partners.

Other activities that support the daily activities and development strategy of the TUH Research and Development Administration and UT faculty of Medicine.

Additional Services

Preparation of applications and coordination for research projects, including preparation of budgets.

Administration of research projects, monitoring of budget execution, preparation of interim and final reports, arrangement of meetings and formulation of memos, preparation of employment contracts with project executors.

Contributing to the activities of the Estonian Paediatric Research Group and the Sexual Health Research Center.

Employees of the centre