I am Applications are open to participate in the fourth edition of the 2 Roche Italia tenders: the first dedicated to clinical research in support of data managers and research nurses with a funding of 300 thousand euros, the second for services in support of innovative solutions for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with an investment of 240 thousand euros . Online registration – the company says in a note – is possible from 13 April to 15 September 2023.
At the same time the winners of the third edition of both tenders were awarded: 10 data managers and research nurses who will be able to manage – for 12 months, in public or private bodies – non-sponsored clinical research activities, thus having the opportunity to consolidate their skills and improve the quality of research for the benefit of patients. For the tender dedicated to multiple sclerosis there are 12 winning entities for the realization of innovative projects whose primary purpose was to fill the needs of the Italian MS Centers by making improvements, in terms of structures, means and resources of the diagnostic-therapeutic path of the patients.
“Our mission is to work today on what patients will need tomorrow – declares Anna Maria Porrini, Director of Medical Affairs & Clinical Operations at Roche Italia – Ours is a solid commitment that concerns various areas and which leads us to act on two main directives: innovation and sustainability. Also through these 2 tenders we continue to give substance to our responsibility towards patients and the entire health system, of which we want to be partners in building a future where, thanks to continuous collaborations, on the one hand we support research as an engine of innovation in our country and on the other hand, through services, we invest in the sustainability of the system, guaranteeing patients the best possible quality of life”.
“In the last 10 years, clinical research has undergone a profound and extraordinarily rapid transformation – observes Celeste Cagnazzo, president of the Italian Data Manager Group (GIDM) – This has required enormously increasing the skills and competitiveness of the Italian research system and, at the same time, radically changing the activities performed by professionals working in the of experiments. Today we need highly trained professionals in methodology, legislation and data privacy. Professionals to whom we ask but to whom we also owe the creation of suitable career paths”.
The selection and evaluation of the candidates for the clinical research call is entrusted to a third party, the Gimbe Foundation. “The candidate projects were evaluated by taking into consideration two parameters – recalls Nino Cartabellotta, president of the Gimbe Foundation – The first (90% of the score) is the quality of the project, defined by the relevance of the research question, the methodological rigor and the potential impact on the health and sustainability of the National Health Service. The second (10% of the score) – he continues – is the scientific activity of the Organization based on the impact of the scientific publications produced by its researchers. In fact, the greater attention paid to these professional figures offers the opportunity to improve the management of clinical trials, thus making our country increasingly competitive in the field of research”.
“The Multiple Sclerosis and Related Pathologies 2025 Agenda which, together with all the stakeholders, Aism has defined, highlights the need for a single ecosystem between research and treatment, between research and health – underlines Mario Alberto Battaglia, general manager of Aism and president of IMF – Let’s work together for a world free from multiple sclerosis, for full inclusion and quality of life for people with MS. Together we innovate services, together we conduct research that changes the reality of multiple sclerosis”.
The third body that will evaluate and select the candidate projects for the tender is the Sodalitas Foundation. “The most effective projects in improving the conditions in which patients access the diagnostic-therapeutic pathway will be selected – concludes Massimo Ceriotti, head of association development at the Sodalitas Foundation – Supporting healthcare institutions in this commitment for the benefit of patients is essential: the companies that, like Roche, have been doing it for some time and continuously achieve an important objective of social sustainability, and contribute in a recognizable way to strengthening those public-private partnerships that are fundamental for the country’s welfare system”.
The first three editions – concludes Roche in the note – have already awarded 36 data manager and research nurse positions, for a loan that amounts to a total of 1 million euros, and 38 projects for services dedicated to MS with 890 thousand euros. Added to these are the investments for the new edition, totaling 540 thousand euros. The Gimbe Foundation and the Sodalitas Foundation have also been reconfirmed as external and independent partners for the evaluation of the projects nominated for the respective tenders and the selection of the recipient bodies of the funding.