Feds and BC government fund new SUPPORT Unit

The federal and British Columbia governments are investing $80 million over five years in cash and in-kind for a BC Support Unit for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials. Half of the federal funding ($40 million) will be provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research with matching support from the BC government. The BC SUPPORT Unit will identify and address the needs of patients and knowledge users. It will also facilitate patient-oriented research; provide expertise in patient-oriented research and its application; assist decision makers and researchers to identify and design research studies, conduct bio-statistical analyses, manage data, provide and teach project management skills, and ensure studies meet regulatory standards; advance methods and training in comparative effectiveness research and develop the next generation of methodologists; and, provide timely access to data, including linking datasets and integrating existing or new databases. The BC SUPPORT Unit is one of several across the country and part of the CIHR-led Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) and the developing BC Academic Health Science Network....