Research Support Officer, INFANT Centre

1 Year, Fixed-Term, Whole-time Post

Position Summary

The INFANT Research Centre was established in 2013 and is dedicated to maternal and child health research. The overarching vision of INFANT is to advance maternal and child health translational research and to place Ireland to the forefront of this field. INFANT is hosted by University College Cork (UCC) and is focused on delivering scientific excellence and impact through a range of activities in academic, translational, and commercial areas. The INFANT team is a diverse group of clinicians and scientists who are supported by selected industry partners, international collaborators and business and regulatory advisors. The Centre is funded by a range of national and international funding agencies, EU, industry, and philanthropy. INFANT has a well-established Clinical Trials Platform which is underpinned by ISO 9001:2015 accredited Quality Management System.

INFANT leads the HRB Irish Network for Children’s Clinical Trials (in4kids) that supports researchers in Ireland to deliver high-quality clinical trials to improve children’s health.

The INFANT Research Centre is now accepting applications for a Research Support Officer – in4kids Network Manager. In4kids is a national paediatric clinical research network funded by Health Research Board (HRB). In4kids is a key component of, and the National Hub for, the Conect4children network.  Conect4children, (collaborative network for European clinical trials for children - c4c) is a pan-European network that aims to build capacity for the management of multinational paediatric clinical trials across Europe whilst ensuring the voices of children, young people and their families are heard.

In4kids is developing the national capacity for high-quality, ethical paediatric clinical research. In addition, as the national hub for Conect4Children, In4kids is consolidating our existing infrastructure and ensuring we maintain our place at the international forefront of children’s clinical research.

The In4kids Network’s objectives are to:

•          Grow a dynamic and sustainably resourced national network with international reach and impact

•          Increase the quantity and quality of paediatric clinical trials in Ireland

•          Maintain and strengthen existing collaborations both nationally and internationally

•          Establish best-practice in Public & Patient Involvement

The In4kids network includes hospitals, universities, and research centres across Ireland.

The in4kids network is supporting a number of clinical trials at sites across Ireland.

The Network Manager, together with in4kids team, will support the following functions and activities of the network:

•          Governance and Network Management

•          Trial Coordination and Oversight

•          Public and Patient Involvement

•          Business Development and Sustainability

•          Communication and Dissemination

The In4kids Network Manager will be responsible for the management of the Network across Ireland, including supporting the Executive Management Committee Function and liaising with collaborators. The network manager will assess feasibility study queries and enable an international platform for Irish research that supports a range of studies, investigator led and industry, that will benefit children in Ireland.

Supporting the In4kids and c4c Network communication platforms also forms part of this role.

The Network manager is responsible for day-to-day coordination of the network, study contracts, reporting and network budget management and also has responsibility for growing the Network Membership.

The Network Manager role will focus on network sustainability by enhancing the reputation of Ireland as an ideal location to do paediatric clinical trials. This will be achieved by collaborating with international networks to leverage funding and develop an extensive portfolio of clinical trials that are funded through industry, exchequer and non-exchequer sources and philanthropy.

INFANT seeks a dynamic, innovative, and committed Network Manager who will be required to have extensive network and project management skills including, contracting, reporting, website maintenance, budget management and clinical research documentation expertise.

Project Title: in4kids Project

Post Duration: 1 Year

Salary:  €59,000 (Personal Rate)

For an information package including further details of the post see https://ore.ucc.ie/.

Informal enquiries can be made in confidence to Prof Geraldine Boylan; Email: [email protected]

Applications must be submitted online via the University College Cork vacancy portal (https://ore.ucc.ie/). Queries relating to the online application process should be referred to [email protected], quoting the job-title and project name.

Candidates should apply, in confidence, before 12 noon (Irish Local Time) on Friday, 22nd March 2024.

No late applications will be accepted.

Please note that an appointment to posts advertised will be dependent on University approval, together with the terms of the employment control framework for the higher education sector.

UCC is committed to creating and fully embracing an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated.  As a University we strive to create a workplace that reflects the diversity of our student population where people from a wide variety of backgrounds learn from one another, share ideas, and work collaboratively. UCC is committed to being an employer that recognises the value of diversity amongst its staff.  We encourage applicants to consult our policies at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/policies/ and initiatives at https://www.ucc.ie/en/edi/implementation/ and we welcome applications from everyone, including those who are underrepresented in the protected characteristics set out in our Equal Opportunities & Diversity Policy. 

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER