A recent webinar presented by PCORI and NCATS explored how the two organizations might collaborate to streamline clinical trials and empower the U.S. research enterprise by creating a “national evidence system with unparalleled research readiness.”

PCORI described the growth of PCORNet, its effort to create a national infrastructure that will enable more efficient, patient-centered research. It has united 130 health systems across the country and collected data on more than 110 million patients, which will eventually be made available to researchers via more than 60 data marts, constituting a “distributed research network.”

NCATS reviewed its Trial Innovation Network effort, which seeks to create a national laboratory to study, understand, and improve multi-center research by leveraging the talent, expertise, and resources of the CTSA program. It reported the efforts made to date to stand up Recruitment and Trial Innovations Centers which, in conjunction with the 64 CTSAs and NCATS, would comprise the Network.

Areas of potential collaboration were briefly discussed and included patient involvement, single (centralized) IRBs, governance for data sharing, trial design, development of common data elements, establishing best practices for dissemination of evidence, and learning from the PCORNet informatics experience.

The CCTS will continue to monitor the discussion between PCORI and NCATS and keep its partner network updated.