NHS Clinical Research Centres to become more autonomous

The Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) Clinical Research Centres will become more autonomous and capable, a determining step to develop and increase the number of clinical trials carried out in the country.

Conducting research and clinical trials allows healthcare units to have access to good practices that represent gains for the institutions by boosting their research capabilities and connection to science, but also clinical benefits for the patients involved who, this way, will have access to innovative treatments. 

Ordinance no. 1739/2024, published on Wednesday in the Diário da República [Government Gazette], sets a series of measures to offer these centres greater capabilities and autonomy, encouraging the heads of the NHS healthcare units to adopt "concerning the clinical research centres that operate under the respective institution, organisational methods that will offer management greater capabilities and autonomy when it comes to developing clinical research and biomedical innovation".

Accordingly, the NHS units, when it comes to Clinical Research Centres (CIC) can now follow a private non-profit association model or be set up (or integrated) as joint responsibility centres.

NHS units that are state-owned corporations can "cooperate with other public or private entities and set up private non-profit associations for clinical research purposes after prior authorisation by the members of Government charged with finance and health".