How ICON is investing in the future of Clinical Research Associates

At ICON, we’re committed to the development of all our team members – particularly the next generation of clinical research professionals. The market has seen a shortage of CRAs in recent years, and with demand expected to grow, many sponsors and CROs are finding themselves competing for scarcely available talent to support their clinical research. Much of this shortage can be attributed to the perceived need to have the “magic” two years of experience in order to be considered competent to monitor – however, there is no shortage of talent on the market waiting to be trained in the profession.

CRAs are a crucial component of the clinical project lifestyle, where new regulations, systems and procedures are becoming more common and are therefore leading to more training and regulatory requirements. One of the biggest factors contributing to the global shortage of CRAs is the lack of training opportunities for clinical professionals to begin their careers, according to Drug Discovery and Development magazine. At ICON, we’re navigating this shortage by creating dedicated training programmes to develop the industry’s best CRAs.

We’ve taken a proactive approach to ensuring our CRAs are not only market-leading in terms of knowledge and training, but also so that we have a pipeline of talent to secure a steady stream of CRA professionals into the future. We do this by investing in the development and ongoing education of both internal staff and new graduates looking to enter the CRO industry.

Depending on the individuals’ circumstances, background, experience and local market, ICON offers the following development programs as a route into the CRA world:

Online University College Dublin (UCD) Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research

CRA Graduate Program

CRA Academy Program

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