A three-day workshop in Singapore aimed to turn global guidance on clinical trials into practical skills, with strong participation from Africa.
Running a good clinical trial takes more than a good idea. It takes sound design, solid statistics, community trust and funding. A workshop held in Singapore from 31 August to 2 September 2026 set out to teach all of it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Advancing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases (ADVANCE-ID) Network, based at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, brought together 77 clinicians, clinician-scientists and researchers. The event is part of broader capacity-building work through the Global Clinical Trials Forum, of which NUS is a founding member.
From guidance to practice
The programme followed a trial from start to finish: framing a research question, choosing a study design, statistical methods, feasibility, public engagement, sharing results and securing funding. Before arriving, participants completed WHO’s online course on good practices for trial design and implementation.
On site, they worked in mentored groups alongside trial specialists, statisticians and public engagement experts. Each group refined a research idea and pitched it to expert faculty for feedback.
Conversations also turned to the obstacles facing trials in low- and middle-income countries, including weak research infrastructure, complex regulatory and ethics processes, limited diagnostic and site capacity, and gaps in equity and inclusion.
A cross-regional effort
With WHO support, ten participants nominated by the WHO Regional Office for Africa attended, among them investigators, project implementers, lecturers and platform managers from Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia. A researcher from Kazakhstan, an alumna of WHO’s 2026 Summer School on Clinical Research, also took part.
What comes next
Learning continues through a free modular seminar series, Advancing Clinical Trials: a statistical guide, aimed at non-statisticians. ADVANCE-ID has also recently been designated a WHO collaborating centre for clinical trials.
The work supports World Health Assembly resolution WHA75.8 on strengthening clinical trials and WHO’s global action plan for clinical trial ecosystem strengthening.
