Health Ministry (MOH) Singapore is setting aside $35 million to help groom clinical research coordinators. When new medical treatments are still in the trial stage, it is often clinical research coordinators who make sure all goes according to plan. They help to coordinate visits of patients in the trial, explain details to them, and make sure that all protocols are strictly followed.

The money will go towards funding the salaries of 100 clinical research coordinators over the next five years. It will also pay for national training and certification programmes for them. Such research coordinators are important because they help doctors carry out quality clinical research that meets international standards.

A new Singapore Clinical Research Institute (SCRI) academy has been launched. This is a virtual training academy for existing research coordinators who have less than one year's experience. The first programme is slated to start in March next year.

The money will also help ensure that all research coordinators are able to explain clinical trials in simple, layman's terms to patients. This is partly because trials are getting more complex, and also because many coordinators these days come in with a background in life sciences.