StepUp for a Ageing Research is a free service designed specifically to help you, as a researcher, meet your recruitment targets. The service aims to increase the number of people participating in research into ageing and aged care, and to make it easier, more cost effective and quicker for researchers to identify suitable study participants, broadening access to research participation.
Currently, there is no systematic way in Australia for older people to register their interest in participating in research and then be matched with relevant studies. For researchers, recruiting participants for studies is costly and time consuming. A 2014 study conducted by Clinical Trials Connect found that just 1 in 5 clinical trials in Australia met their recruitment deadlines. A 2009 study by the Pharmaceutical Industry Council (PIC) found that nine in ten industry-sponsored trials failed to meet their recruitment targets.
Delays in finding the right people can result in studies taking longer to deliver, often requiring funding extensions. Insufficient study samples limit the effectiveness and scope of research – the difficulty researchers face when it comes to recruiting participants directly impacts their capacity for robust analysis and the generalisation of findings.
Registered researchers will be able to:
To find out more about registering your study with us, read our Frequently Asked Questions.
