The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) has been awarded a two-year conference grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), to support a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening and growing the U.S. clinical research professional workforce.
The grant (Award Number: 1R13TR005703-01) will fund a two-part annual conference session series, “Advancing Clinical and Translational Science through Building a Research-Ready Clinical Research Professional Workforce in the U.S.” The series will convene leaders from academia, industry, government, and patient communities to address such pressing challenges as workforce shortages, high turnover rates, limited career pathways, and the need for professional recognition.
The sessions will pursue two goals: to align strategies for workforce development by highlighting innovative models for career entry, advancement, and retention that can serve as scalable solutions across the research enterprise; and to promote professional recognition and validation of clinical research professionals by leading collaborative discussions focused on defining professional standards and advocating for formal recognition of the field as a distinct and essential profession.
This funding was awarded through the NIH Research Conference Grant (R13) mechanism, which supports high-quality scientific conferences aligned with NIH’s mission to advance public health. These conferences, such as the ACRP Annual Conference, provide an organized forum, whether in-person or virtual, where experts and stakeholders come together to exchange technical information, explore emerging challenges, and clarify shared priorities to strengthen the nation’s clinical research enterprise.
“This is an important and positive step for the clinical research profession and our nation’s life sciences leaders, who understand the essential need for a sustainable clinical research workforce for the discovery and delivery of safe and effective medicines for everyone,” said Susan Landis, Chief Executive Officer, ACRP. “We are excited to convene pioneers and passionate voices in clinical research workforce development to help build the next generation of clinical research professionals.”
The conference sessions will be held in conjunction with ACRP’s Annual Conference, bringing this critical conversation to a national stage. The first will take place at ACRP 2026, April 24–27, in Orlando, Fla., and the second at ACRP 2027, April 30–May 3, in San Diego, Calif.
Funding Acknowledgment
This project is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number R13TR005703. The content of this announcement is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
