“C2: The Clinical Study Change Agent Collective” selected; will have an opportunity to work with INC Research and CISCRP to progress idea into a viable solution to build clinical trial awareness

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INC Research Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:INCR), a leading, global Phase I to IV contract research organization, together with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging the public and patients as partners in the clinical research process, today announced Team “C2: The Clinical Study Change Agent Collective” was chosen as the winner of the 2016 “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon.  Team C2 was selected because judges felt the team’s idea to create a corporate social responsibility program had longevity, momentum and begins at the start of the patient journey.  The team received a $10,000 prize awarded by CISCRP and the opportunity to progress their idea into a viable solution to address awareness of clinical trial participation among patients, healthcare professionals and the general public.

Team C2 was led by Angela Radcliffe, Executive Vice President, FCBVIO and Patrick Tobin, Executive Vice President FCB Health along with Meghan Kates, Tony Hursey and Donna Fowle. Additionally the team had input during ideation from Diane Montross of Shire and Lani Hashimoto of Novartis as well as countless colleagues at FCB.  The team presented their winning idea — a Corporate Social Responsibility program enabling companies to improve wellness and health literacy for employees by connecting clinical trial awareness and participation with other social causes — in a competitive format at the Ideathon held Sept. 27-28 at District Hall in the city of Boston’s Innovation District.  The C2 team, along with 12 other finalists, competed live in front of an expert judging panel representing perspectives from across the clinical trial community as part of an innovative crowdsolving-type event aimed to raise awareness of low clinical trial participation rates. In recognition of the efforts and participation of the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon finalists and winner, the Greater Gift Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing global health and clinical trial participation, is donating 145 vaccines to children.

“We are honored to be chosen as the winner of the ‘Inspiring Hope’ Ideathon and look forward to seeing our idea put into action to solve a very important need,” said Angela Radcliffe, leader of the C2 team. “The support and energy surrounding this premiere event has been outstanding. It’s wonderful to have a platform dedicated to driving big thinking around one of the core challenges of clinical trials and drug development. At the end of the day, we are all focused on increasing awareness of clinical trials to ultimately benefit patients and advance public health. We are excited about our concept and the potential of bringing it to life.” 

“Team C2’s outstanding idea represents the quality and creativity that the Ideathon was designed to achieve,” said Clare Grace, PhD, Vice President, Site and Patient Access, INC Research. “We are grateful for all of the participants, supporters and judges who made this event a success, and came together to present solutions to one of the most-pressing issues facing drug development.”

The Ideathon inspired nearly 70 entries from around the world, aimed at increasing ongoing participation in clinical trials, stimulating more active engagement within the broader community and better recognizing trial volunteers. All entries received for the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon were reviewed by a panel of judges representing a diverse community of stakeholders who evaluated the ideas based on innovation, feasibility of implementation, sustainability, and potential for impact in raising awareness of clinical trials, particularly among minority and vulnerable populations in a range of diseases and medical conditions.

Ken Getz, Founder and Board Chair, CISCRP, and Ideathon judge noted, “The excitement that this event generated and the submissions that we received signal a major step forward in addressing the perennial problem of poor clinical trial awareness and literacy.  All of the finalists presented innovative and creative solutions that should be recognized.  And as an immediate next step, we're excited to work with Team C2 to implement their winning idea."

Sponsors for the 2016 “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon include DrugDev, EMD Serono, WIRB Copernicus Group, Greenphire, ePatientFinder, Medidata and qd Solutions along with association partners the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP), the Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) and the Greater Gift Initiative (GGI). Media partners for the event include CenterWatch, pharmaphorum and PharmaVOICE.

To learn more about the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon, please visit www.inspiring-hope-ideathon.com or follow the conversation on social media at #ideas4patients.

About CISCRP
The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and informing the public, patients, medical/research communities, the media, and policy makers about clinical research and the role each party plays in the process. CISCRP provides free education and outreach to the general public and patient communities. Visit www.CISCRP.org for more information or to support CISCRP.

About INC Research
INC Research (Nasdaq:INCR) is a leading global contract research organization ("CRO") providing the full range of Phase I to Phase IV clinical development services for the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. Leveraging the breadth of our service offerings and the depth of our therapeutic expertise across multiple patient populations, INC Research connects customers, clinical research sites and patients to accelerate the delivery of new medicines to market. The Company was named “Best Contract Research Organization” in December 2015 by an independent panel for Scrip Intelligence, and ranked “Top CRO to Work With” among large global CROs in the 2015 CenterWatch Global Investigative Site Relationship Survey. INC Research is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, with operations across six continents and experience spanning more than 110 countries. For more information, please visit www.incresearch.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @inc_research.

 

CONTACT: 
Investor Relations Contact:
Ronnie Speight
Vice President, Investor Relations
Phone: +1 (919) 745-2745
Email: Investor.Relations@incresearch.com

Press/Media Contacts:
Lori Dorer
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Phone: +1 (513) 763-1380
Email: Corporate.Communications@incresearch.com

Rachel Minnick
Senior Manager, Marketing and Promotion 
Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)
Phone: +1 (610) 304-1506
National Office: +1 (617) 725-2750
Email: rminnick@ciscrp.org