ICRI ties up with UK university

Likely to start operations within 8 months, the programme will be integrated into the current curriculum.

The Institute of Clinical Research India (ICRI), which offers short and long -duration programmes in the field of clinical research, has decided to set up campuses in the US and UK in collaboration with Cranfield University "" a UK-based leading research-led institution. This will be the institute's first foray abroad.

The campuses are likely to start operations in the next 6-8 months with ICRI still working out details of investment for the venture.

Cranfield University, which has a student exchange tie-up with ICRI will monitor the quality of the campuses. Under the existing alliance, students from ICRI can spend up to a year at Cranfield's UK campus.

ICRI has also decided to enter into a collaboration with Institute of Clinical Research, (ICR) UK, to offer Post Graduate Diplomas and certificate courses to its students.

The programme would be integrated into its existing curriculum. At present, around 600 students study under the institute's programmes of which 400 are regular students pursuing their MSc in Clinical Research and the rest are part-time students enrolled for a one year Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Data Management and one year Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research.

The institute will also be expanding campuses within the country. After setting up campuses in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, the institute will set up new ones in Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune in the next six-eight months. The intake per batch would be around 100-150 students.

SK Gupta, Dean and Director General, ICRI said, "In Phase I of the expansion, we plan to set up a clinical trial facility in Bangalore to give hands-on experience to students. The facility will be part of a new residential campus we are planning to set up in Bangalore."

He added that on an average a new campus required around Rs 3 crore of investment while an international campus required Rs 4-5 crore.

The institute had earlier been awarded a grant of £23,000 per year over a period of five years from the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) in tandem with Cranfield University, UK for which it has held meetings with officials from the collaborating university to develop the framework for education and research work.

Gupta added that with the grant received from UKIERI, ICRI would initiate higher education programmes in India for translational medicine and molecular biology.