Establish Relationship

Summary

Once you determine a research study or patient treatment you would like to explore, you can begin identifying sponsor programs that might be a good fit.

Making yourself marketable as a principal investigator (PI) involves a passionate pursuit of showcasing the science you are best at and the ability to cast a vision and actual impact on how your science can benefit others.

How to Make Yourself Marketable

• Attend Networking Events

  Consistently attend networking events and conferences to build strong relationships in the clinical research field.

• Put Yourself in the Right Environment

  Put yourself in the right environment at the right time to meet people who value your ideas.

• Keep Your Research Presence Up to Date

  Keep your lab website up to date, list your current publications, and update your LinkedIn profile.

• Prepare an Annual Poster

  Don’t miss an opportunity to do an annual poster or attend a sponsor-funded marketing event.

• Participate in Sponsor-Funded Events

  Take the time to participate in sponsor-funded workshops, conferences, and trainings.

How to Cultivate a Sponsor Relationship

• Communicate Your Expectations

  Developing a good relationship with your sponsor entails communicating your goals, expressing your expectations, and ensuring that your sponsor understands what to expect from your study. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the sponsor’s goals and strategy related to your research to ensure a long and healthy relationship.

• Develop a Close Working Relationship

  Creating a close working relationship with your sponsor can be challenging if they have a complex schedule. Therefore, it is imperative to determine your sponsor's preferred communication method, schedule time to develop relationships and maintain a consistent working relationship.

• Maintain Transparent Communication

  A big part of working closely with sponsors that some forget about is maintaining open, transparent communication. Discuss all the work you’ve done and what lies ahead in detail to display what goes into your research and how your work is worthwhile.

• Meet Sponsor Expectations

  Managing expectations with sponsors is very important for the Institution and your sponsors. After all, this ongoing relationship is not one-sided. Therefore, you will need to make sure you understand exactly what your sponsor expects, and they in turn need to fulfill their obligations to you.

Terms and Definitions

Clinical Trials

Research studies that evaluate a medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention.

Human Subject

A patient or healthy person participating in a clinical research trial.

Principal Investigator (PI)

Individual who oversees a clinical research study and seeks funding from a sponsor.

Sponsor

An organization outside UT Southwestern that manages or finances a research project.

View All Terms & Definitions

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