Clinical Trials Information System: training and support

Training and supporting materials are available from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on how to use the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) ahead of its planned launch in January 2022. EMA’s training resources are tailored for clinical trial sponsors and staff of the European Union (EU) Member States, European Commission and other organisations who will use the system. 

Resources include:

• online training modules;
• a handbook for clinical trial sponsors;
• a master trainer programme;
• training and information events.

The training and support materials aim to help users comply with their obligations under the Clinical Trials Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 536/2014), which apply once the CTIS goes live.

More information on CTIS and the Clinical Trials Regulation is available on Clinical Trials Regulation.

EMA is delivering an extensive online modular training programme for self-study to help clinical trial sponsors, national competent authorities, ethics committees, European Commission and EMA staff prepare for using CTIS.

The online training modules cover the various stages of a clinical trial as well as the preparatory steps needed to use CTIS, such as user registration. EMA is adding new modules and materials throughout 2021, as they become available.

More information: 

• Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS): online modular training programme

Guidance is available to help clinical trial sponsors prepare for using CTIS in the handbook below.

It covers priority topics identified with the help of clinical trial sponsors, with reference and links to further supporting materials. EMA will be updating this CTIS sponsor handbook with further priority topics as needed.

The handbook is aimed at pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations (CROs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), academic sponsors and other organisations working on clinical trials. 

Guidance on the data fields that clinical trial sponsors will need to fill in CTIS when submitting a clinical trial application or managing a clinical trial is available in the documents below. EMA will be adding additional reference materials throughout 2021. 

EMA is working closely with master trainers, a core group of users who will train and support other users in their organisations in preparing to work with CTIS.

Master trainers from the national competent authorities and ethics committees of each EU Member State have been working with EMA since October 2020.

A programme for Master trainers for sponsors in pharmaceutical companies, including contract research organisations (CROs) takes place in 2021. 

Guidance is available on training techniques and materials to support master trainers, or anyone responsible for rolling out the CTIS training programme.

EMA is also offering training sessions in classroom format, to provide additional learning opportunities. 

For more information on each training session, including supporting materials, see:

• SME and academia Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) two-part training webinar - Day 2(04/03/2021, aimed at clinical trial sponsors representing SMEs and non-commercial sponsors in academia)
• SME and academia Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) two-part training webinar - Day 1(22/02/2021, aimed at clinical trial sponsors representing SMEs and non-commercial sponsors in academia)

Online training materials are also available on using EMA's Organisation Management Service (OMS) and Referentials Management Service (RMS), including the below webinars, targeted at industry users of CTIS:

• Introduction to OMS services and activities - industry webinar (03/02/2021)
• Introduction to RMS services and activities - industry webinar (04/02/2021)

Furthermore, EMA organises information events on CTIS, open to all audiences:

• Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) webinar: How sponsor organisations can prepare for CTIS (29/07/2021)
• EMA Clinical Trial Information System (CTIS) webinar: dynamic demo of sponsor workspace (21/09/2020)