We are proud to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is now in place between the Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science (CIRS) and the Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS) Medical School’s Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE), which will evolve our existing relationship and facilitate new opportunities for collaboration.

CIRS and CoRE share a common interest in promoting thought leadership and excellence in regulatory science in the Asia Pacific and other regions, and have collaborated on a number of programs since 2015. Both our organizations had also benefited greatly from the invaluable guidance and strategic advice provided by the late Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge, a world-leading regulatory expert, who had chaired our respective advisory boards.

The MoU will allow CIRS and CoRE to jointly explore areas of cooperation, such as:

  • The organization of joint meetings e.g. fora, roundtables
  • The creation, promotion and facilitation of policy development
  • Development and publication of scientific thought leadership articles and reports
  • Organization of professional training e.g. courses, workshops
  • Exchange of knowledge and information to build regulatory capacity in the Asia Pacific region.

Potential topics of interest to both groups include regulatory reliance, benchmarking and incorporation of stakeholder perspectives in decision making.

The Centre for Innovation in Regulatory Science is a neutral, independent UK-based subsidiary of Clarivate plc. Its mission is to maintain a leadership role in identifying and applying scientific principles for the purpose of advancing regulatory and Health Technology Assessment policies and processes. CIRS provides an international forum for industry, regulators, HTA bodies and other healthcare stakeholders to meet, debate and develop regulatory and reimbursement policy through the innovative application of regulatory science. It is governed and operated by Clarivate for the sole support of its members’ activities. The organization has its own dedicated management and advisory boards, and its funding is derived from membership dues, related activities and grants.

Dr Lawrence Liberti, Head of Regulatory Collaborations, CIRS, said:

“This MoU brings us even closer to CoRE, which is something we hope Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge, who served as Chair for both organizations, would have greatly supported. We look forward to exploring collaborative opportunities with CoRE to further promote innovation in regulatory science.”

Launched in 2014, the Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE) at Duke-NUS Medical School, is the first dedicated Asian centre targeting the needs of national health regulators, the biomedical industry, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. CoRE runs various programmes, including its flagship Graduate Certificate in Health Products Regulation course, that build capabilities and competencies among regulatory professionals, executives, policy makers and researchers to promote regulatory leadership and encourage policy innovation across the Asia-Pacific.  CoRE provides a neutral academic platform for stakeholders from national regulatory agencies, industry, health ministries and academia to exchange knowledge, encourage innovation, and promote collaboration in strengthening regulatory science and health systems frameworks.

Professor John Lim, Executive Director, CoRE, said:

“This MoU is significant as Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge had always encouraged closer collaboration between CoRE and CIRS, noting how our complementary strengths and reach could bring about better synergy of efforts and impact. We look forward to partnering with CIRS in new initiatives that advance regulatory science and excellence to strengthen health and regulatory systems.”