Regions of the world hankering to get a robust life sciences business infrastructure going need look no further for guidance than the state of Massachusetts.

That’s what the Clinical Research Consortium of Massachusetts (CRCM) is asserting. The new consortium is a group of Bay State-based research-industry heavy hitters coming together to offer itself as a well-seasoned, multi-pronged consultant group to far-flung governments desiring to get in on the research boom.

Who’s In?

The four players are:

• Tufts Medical Center’s Institute for Clinical Research & Health Policy Studies
• Electronic data capture and safety-system company Phase Forward
• Recruitment firm BBK Worldwide
• Life sciences consulting group Court Square Group

It all started with a request for proposals from the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI), which wanted help competing with similar clusters of health care companies in California and North Carolina.

BBK, the Court Square Group, Phase Forward and Tufts suggested that MOITI jockey for sister-state/sister-region agreements by launching a group focused on clinical research in particular, rather than health care more broadly. After all, about half of the companies and organizations engaged in clinical research globally are U.S.-based, and a healthy chunk of those entities are based in Massachusetts. MOITI went for the idea, and for those particular organizations.

Guiding Lombardia

Things got off the ground for the consortium in late March, when employees from the three companies and Tufts flew to Lombardia, Italy. The Lombardia (pronounced Lom-bar-DEE-ah) Ministry of Health, based in Milan, wanted detailed advice. Italy currently has only 2 percent of the multi-billion dollar clinical trials market in Europe. Lombardia wanted more, and it needed to figure out how to get it within the framework of the country’s national health system.

Bonnie Brescia, founding principal of BBK, said the visiting consortium members came up with a plan for Lombardia that mapped out how to build a medium-sized life sciences industry there, and also how to be very aggressive should the Ministry of Health decide it wanted to be a “research hub like Boston, to have it fully permeate their health care system, industry and trade.”

Domination Chosen

In the end, Lombardia opted for option #2: creation of a dominant hub, Brescia added. Now the consortium is working with the government there on implementing a five-to-seven-year plan.

The four entities in the consortium may now begin selling the region their products and services (at a discount) as Lombardia ramps up. Lombardia is not under any obligation to use the companies. Brescia says the relationship is more about strategic partnering. Lombardia may, for instance, have someone from BBK come over to help them figure out recruiting, but BBK will also now have a new market in Europe for recruiting subjects for its other clients’ trials.

Buzz Travels Fast

The other upside for the consortium? Word on the street is traveling fast; other parts of the world have contacted the consortium about coming over to do the same thing for them. And soon.

“There have been conversations with the Chilean government, the Mexican Trade Association, Spain, Brazil, and other regions in Italy,” said Brescia. “Sometimes it’s government, sometimes it’s trade associations saying, ‘This is really important and we can do better.’ Some are at the early stage. Others are at a place where they’re saying, ‘I get it. We’ve been trying to do this on our own and having no luck. Let’s talk timing and money.’”

Its Own Infrastructure

Official word from the consortium is that it’s in talks with government and industry decision makers in three countries in South America and two more in Europe.

The new group doesn’t yet have a website, a staff, or an office. But that’s all in the works. Since interest is high, staffing will begin soon, said Brescia. And most likely the office will be located within the headquarters of one of the four consortium members’ offices, at least initially. The consortium officially began marketing itself at last month’s BIO conference in San Diego.

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