Trial Steering Committee Training Series (ONLINE) – Workshop One: Roles, Remit & Responsibilities

Background & aim:

Trial Steering Committees (TSCs) provide the independent oversight at the heart of well-run clinical trials, yet practice varies and the role is often poorly understood. This online series offers a structured introduction to TSCs – their role, remit and responsibilities – and builds confidence to serve as a TSC member or chair. Through short expert talks and facilitated discussion of real-world scenarios, it clarifies how TSCs work alongside sponsors, funders, investigators, Clinical Trials Units/Clinical Research Facilities, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) contributors and Data Monitoring Committees. It is aimed at anyone involved in trial oversight – including researchers, clinicians, statisticians and trial coordinators/managers – and supports capacity and networking across Ireland and the UK.

Objectives:

Workshop 1 – TSC roles, remit and responsibilities

Date & time: 10:00 – 12:00, 10th November 2026

Understand the core oversight role of the TSC and how it differs from those of the sponsor, funder, Principal Investigator, CTU/CRF and Data Monitoring Committee; the specific responsibilities of TSC members and the Chair; how funders (HRB, NIHR) and sponsors define a “successful TSC”; and the essential contribution of PPI to TSC deliberations.

Workshop 2 – TSCs in practice: real-world scenarios

Date & time: 10:00 – 12:00, 1st December 2026

Apply TSC guidance to challenging real-world situations through facilitated groupwork – for example, when the trial team proposes major sample size changes due to poor recruitment, and when the Data Monitoring Committee recommends early reporting of unblinded data for efficacy or safety – and reflect on your own readiness to serve as a TSC member or chair.

Fee for one workshop: General €40

Fee for both workshops: General €70

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

Facilitators:

Professor Athene Lane, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol

Professor Carrol Gamble, Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre, University of Liverpool

Professor Gian Luca Di Tanna, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)