‘Free’ ISRCTN registration for NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies

In line with its policy to promote public access to information about research and research findings affecting health and social care, the Department of Health in England will fund the registration of all non-commercial studies, with an interventional component included in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio, on the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) register.

The NIHR CRN Coordinating Centre has developed a process enabling automatic, and ‘free’ registration of new non-commercial studies with interventional component on the NIHR CRN Portfolio via the Portfolio database.

A parallel process designed to enable voluntary registration of existing NIHR CRN Portfolio studies with an interventional component will start after the ISRCTN Portfolio functionality is released in March 2010 and is expected to be completed by the end of July / August 2010.

Observational, commercial and devolved nations’ studies are encouraged to use the new Portfolio database functionality to voluntarily register with ISRCTN if they wish to, but will be solely responsible for covering the appropriate registration fee.