Funding for Nordic clinical research

As part of the pilot project Nordic Trial Alliance, the NordForsk Board has awarded funding to five research projects promoting joint Nordic clinical studies. Twenty grant applications of very high quality were received in response to the call for proposals. The selected projects will receive a total of NOK 16 million in funding. Funding for Nordic clinical research Photo: Johannes Jansson/norden.org The Nordic Trial Alliance (NTA) is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and NordForsk and seeks to increase the number of clinical multi-centre trials in the Nordic countries. The three-year pilot project is part of the Nordic Council of Minister’s “Sustainable Nordic Welfare” programme, which is targeted towards finding new, innovative solutions to renew the Nordic welfare systems. Funding has been awarded to the following five projects:

• Assisted reproductive technology and safety in the Nordic countries, Project leader: Anja Pinborg, Denmark
• Nordic Arthroplasty Register Association – an international quality register study of total joint arthroplasty of four nations, Project leader: Keijo Mäkälä, Finland
• NordStar, Project leader: Merete Lund Hetland, Denmark
• BMT in elderly AML – a prospective, controlled, international study, Project leader: Mats Brune, Sweden
• Discontinuation of infliximab therapy in patients with Crohns’ disease during sustained complete remission, Project leader: Mark Ainsworth, Denmark

Pleased with the outcome

Director of NordForsk, Gunnel Gustafsson, is very pleased with the outcome of the call. “The grant applications were assessed by an international panel of referees, and the members were impressed with the exceptionally high level of quality of the project proposals. The funding has been awarded to studies that are of great interest and medical benefit to patients in Nordic countries and we are looking forward to following the progress of these projects,” states the director.

In line with the objectives of NTA

The NTA’s project leader Pierre Lafolie was pleased on behalf of the winning proposals and confirmed that they are in line with the overall objectives of the NTA. “The purpose of the call was to illustrate the benefits of carrying out clinical research at the Nordic level and to show that this can speed up research activities and provide more conclusive results by drawing on larger patient groups, for example. This means that the results of a clinical trial can reach patients more rapidly,” Dr Lafolie says. “By promoting the Nordic region as a common area for medical research we hope to reverse the current decline in the number of clinical trials. Supporting these five projects brings the NTA one step closer to reaching this goal,” concludes Pierre Lafolie.