Online databases on current research

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• National Institute for Health Research
• Health Services Research Projects in progress
• Current Controlled Trials
• CORDIS projects database

ClinicalTrials.gov

The USA Clinical Trials Database from the National Library of Medicine. ClinicalTrials.gov provides patients, family members, and members of the public easy and free access to information on clinical studies for a wide range of diseases and conditions. The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its National Library of Medicine (NLM), has developed this site in collaboration with all NIH Institutes and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It was launched in February 2000 and currently contains approximately 6,400 clinical studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, other Federal agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry in over 69,000 locations worldwide. Studies listed in the database are conducted primarily in the United States and Canada, but include locations in about 70 countries.

National Institute for Health Research

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) brings together government support for research in the NHS in England, through the United Kingdom Clinical Research Network (UKCRN). A new system for recording research conducted by the NIHR has been established. The repository for this information is the portfolio database, which currently contains approximately 2,000 studies, and can be accessed for public searching.

Health Services Research Projects in progress

The National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) produces the Health Services Research Projects in progress (HSRProj). This site provides a US focus on healthcare.

Current Controlled Trials

The Current Controlled Trials database is a major, searchable international database: a 'register of registers' of ongoing (and some completed) randomised controlled trials that is provided free of charge. You can also access a gateway to other trial databases via the Metaregister of Controlled Trials (mRCT). All trial records are in English; a brief introduction to the mRCT has been prepared in Français, Deutsch, Italiano, and Español, and other languages will be added. CCT Links give access to more than 200 other online registers of controlled trials, some of which are in languages other than English, for example, German and Dutch.

CORDIS projects database

The CORDIS projects database is provided by the Community Research Development and Information Service of the European Union. European Union research activities are implemented for the most part under multi-annual research, technological development and demonstration (RTD) framework programmes. This database contains details of individual RTD projects financed wholly or partly from the budget of the European Communities. The site is also accessible in Deutsch, Espaňol, Français and Italiano.