European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN-ERIC)

Mission and objectives

The European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network, www.ecrin.org, is a European network dedicated to improving the health of patients and citizens across the world through clinical research. ECRIN supports, services, coordinates, and manages high-quality, independent, and fully transparent multinational clinical research. ECRIN synergizes the capacities and capabilities of national clinical research. ECRIN strives for harmonisation of European clinical research. By facilitating clinical research across Europe, ECRIN contributes to the achievement of the ‘European Research Area’ and the ‘society of knowledge’ and adds to European competitiveness. Starting 2012, ECRIN runs in parallel two initiatives:

• the ECRIN-ERIC, a legal entity whose sustainability is supported by Member States, will be in charge of the operations, namely the support to multinational clinical trials selected by the ECRIN Scientific Board. This activity had already started during the previous (ECRIN-PPI, 2008-2011) FP7-funded project.
• the ECRIN-IA (Integrating Activity) project (2012-2015), funded by the FP7 Infrastructure Unit, in charge of further structuring and expanding the network, particularly through expansion and capacity building, and through the structuring of users’ communities in the field of rare diseases, medical devices and nutrition.