Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC)
Working with AHRC
We want your experience with AHRC to be a highlight of your research program.
Please call us anytime to discuss your project. In the meantime, we have prepared the following guide, 'Working With AHRC', that will answer some of your questions.
- Who Am I?
- Academic researchers
You may contact AHRC at any point in your research planning process. However, we prefer to speak with you earlier in the planning stage rather than later. - Commercial Sponsors
We would like to hear from you when you are considering a clinical development plan or a post-marketing phase of a drug's development.
- Academic researchers
- Do I have to be a St. Michael's researcher or physician talk to you?
- No.
- When Should I Talk to You?
- In general, you would speak with AHRC if you are working on a multi-centre clinical study. Typically, you should also talk to us if you need a Coordinating Centre for a multi-centre study.
- What services do you offer?
- Please view our 'What We Provide' page.
- Can you help me to secure funding?
- We have creative solutions to accessing funding.
- What don’t we offer?
- We don’t manage sites and their work on a day-to-day basis. We provide an oversight role in this area.
- We don’t coordinate Phase I studies but can link researchers with others that handle Phase I studies.
- We rarely work on single site studies. It’s not cost effective for you to have AHRC involved.
- We don’t hire people to build your research team.
- We don’t hire people to work at the research sites but can assist in this process.
- We don’t do grant applications. However, we can help in relevant portions of the grant writing. For more information, review our Grant Writing section.
- We don’t manage the REB process at individual research sites; we do support you by providing template documents.
- What types of research does AHRC handle?
- Multi-centre randomized clinical trials
- Observational Epidemiology
- Prospective patient registries / databases
- Retrospective database study design and analysis
- Qualitative Research
- Health Economics
- Biostatistical analyses
- What is your therapeutic specialty?
- We work across a broad range of therapeutic areas. Our methodological expertise is applied to design high quality clinical research studies and our operational engine ensures efficient implementation. You (and your collaborators) provide the clinical scientific expertise. For commercial partners, our extensive links with leading clinician scientists across the University of Toronto community brings the scientific and clinical leadership required for any study.
- Do you have an application that I need to complete?
- No. Please call or email us. We’d rather talk with you prior to your completing an application.
- Who should I talk to?
- Visit our contact page.
- What happens after I contact you?
- In most instances, we will schedule a meeting to discuss your research, your needs and potential solutions.
- What does talking to you cost me?
- Nothing. Our meeting gives both of us an opportunity to get to know each other better.
- What do I need to bring to this meeting?
- Ideally, you would bring your proposal. However, this is not a requirement but you should have some idea of what you think you need so that we can begin to help you.
- After we’ve met, what can I expect?
- We’ll develop a work plan for your consideration. Typically, we have been asked to provide some statistical design input, an initial working draft of a budget, some scientific expertise and study design input.
- Who is my ongoing point of contact?
- Based on the nature of your study, you will move forward with a specific research team.
- Is there a standard fee schedule for the services that I need?
- No. Our fees will reflect the nature, scale, and scope of your study.
- Do you keep my work confidential?
- Yes. Privacy and confidentiality surrounding your work are assured.
- Do I have to sign anything?
- No. However, if you request one, we will provide a standard confidential disclosure agreement.
- Am I committed to working with you, after we meet initially?
- No. However, if we proceed to development and execution of your research, a written commitment is required.
- How do we work together on an on-going basis?
- The AHRC team is available to meet your research needs when you need us. For a typical project, regularly scheduled meetings and a comprehensive work plan are critical starting points.
- If I choose to work with you, what happens to my funding?
- The lead investigator controls their funding and allows the AHRC to manage as much or as little as he/she is comfortable with. The terms of financial management will be agreed upon by both the AHRC and the lead investigator.
- Do you disclose that we’re working together (e.g. my name, the name of the trial, etc…)?
- Our relationship and the nature of your clinical trial will remain confidential unless you have granted permission to share this information with others.
- What’s your patient recruitment process?
- We have access to an extensive network of researchers and physicians that assist in patient recruitment.
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