Institute of Clinical Research (India) has introduced a two-year M.Sc programme in association with Cranfield University in the UK.
This was announced at a recent programme in the city, attended by the institute?s executive director Hari Gautam and deputy head of mission at the British deputy high commission Kevin McCole.
Students with B.Sc, M.Sc, B.Pharm, MBBS, MD, BDS, BAMS and BHMS degrees can apply.
The course will be run in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. As for Calcutta, the institute?s chief operating officer Amitava Ghosh said: ?We will conduct a market survey to assess whether there is sufficient demand in the city. Based on the findings, we will decide on setting up a Calcutta branch.?
Elaborating on the reason for introducing the course, Gautam said: ?India has not only a large talent pool, but also a very diverse patient pool, with 30 million cardio-vascular, 25 million diabetic and 10 million psychiatric cases. All these make for a huge potential for clinical research in India.?
On the course structure, he said: ?Students will have the option of completing the second year at Cranfield University. Internship will be in prominent Indian pharmaceutical firms.?
Cranfield University is rated among the top three in the UK in terms of student placement. It has achieved a 97.1 per cent success rate for students, according to Higher Education Statistics Agency figures.
It is also among the top five universities of the UK in terms of research income, and is in the same league as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College and University College of London.
There are more than 250,000 vacancies in the clinical research industry worldwide. In India, according to a McKinsey report, 50,000 clinical professionals will be needed by 2010.