New Delhi, Sep 03, 2010: Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, and the Institute of Clinical Research in India (ICRI), India's premier clinical research institute, have joined hands to develop pharmacovigilance and clinical research program, customized to meet the growing industry requirements of the thriving sector.

Titled, ‘Post-Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research and Pharmacovigilance’, the program curriculum will span over a period of 6-t- 12 months, or an aggregate of 360 hours. The content of the course covers four essential modules: Basics of Clinical research, Pharmacology, Pharmacovigilance and Regulations; Case Processing; Aggregate Report; Risk Management in Pharmacovigilance & Signal Detection.

“India is emerging as a hub for clinical research and the demand for professionals in this field is growing rapidly. Accenture aspires to meet this massive demand for clinical research professionals by coming together with ICRI to develop professionals that are valuable and employable in the industry. We want to make this an interesting career option. As an added incentive, we foresee this field to have a massive growth potential” said Manish Sharma, lead, Service Delivery Operations, APAC, BPO Growth Platform, Accenture. He further added, “We are proud to be associated with a prestigious institute like ICRI to nurture and develop some of the brightest talent in the country”

Dr SK Gupta, dean and director general of ICRI said, “This kind of initiative is imperative in a nascent, yet thriving industry such as ours. With Accenture’s subject matter expertise and our faculty’s dedication, we seek to provide a knowledgeabe and high-skilled talent pool graduating from this programme”. Rajiv Verma, COO, ICRI added, “The programme, will be initially available in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The course aims to equip students with practical industry knowledge and placement opportunities to students graduating from the program.”

The Accenture-ICRI diploma program is targeted at post-graduate students from Tier I to Tier IV cities. The minimum eligibility criterion for an applicant is graduate/post graduate in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy & life sciences. Applicants will need to have passed the Accenture-ICRI certificate course in PG Diploma in Clinical Research & Pharmacovigilance. Depending on the performance, Accenture will screen applicants through campus interviews for employment at Accenture.