Trial.Link Launches as China's First Clinical Research Service Trading Platform

On May 5, 2022, Shanghai Mudi Biological Technology Co., Ltd. (the parent company of Drug Research Club) officially launched its clinical research service trading platform, Trial.Link. With this launch, Trial.Link has been comprehensively upgraded from a former clinical research portal to a full-fledged clinical research service trading platform, marking a significant step forward in the commercialization of clinical research services.

Trial.Link is another high-value flagship brand launched by Shanghai Mudi Biological Technology Co., Ltd. following the successful establishment of its Drug Research Society brand.

To address pain points such as idle labor hours and delivery management among CROs/SMOs across China, the Trial.Link-CRO/SMO Surplus Labor Hour Sharing Module has been officially launched. Participating CRO/SMO companies can leverage the platform’s intelligent supply-demand matching hub to conduct online matching and transactions of project resources and surplus labor hours. This initiative establishes a nationwide talent network, significantly improving labor hour utilization rates for CROs/SMOs.

Meanwhile, Trial.Link will offer intelligent, end-to-end digital capabilities at a very low price threshold to CRO/SMO firms lacking standardized process management, helping them enhance delivery performance in a more lightweight and cost-effective manner.

For sponsors seeking CRO/SMO partners, the Trial.Link platform integrates nationwide network resources and talent to maximize geographic coverage for sponsors. Meanwhile, with quality as its lifeline, Trial.Link empowers CROs/SMOs through digitalization while establishing a rigorous quality delivery management system, ensuring worry-free platform-based delivery quality.

Leveraging a suite of meticulously refined digital clinical research SaaS products developed over many years by Mudi Biotechnology (the parent company of Drug Research Society), the Trial.Link platform has officially launched the Trial.Link-SaaS Tool Marketplace. This one-stop solution integrates and covers the entire chain and all scenarios of clinical research, marking the industry’s first proposal of“Trial office "Concept: Good tools aren’t that expensive!

The minimalist product experience ensures that users can understand it at a glance and master it with ease. For instance, MY-SSS, the only central screening recommendation system launched in China, has become a star product within the Trial Office, earning consistent acclaim from its users. Other offerings include the modular management collaboration platform MY-PMCP (CTMS), the document management system MY-eDocs (eTMF), the clinical research data decision support system MY-TDC, the clinical trial data management system MY-EDC, the randomization and trial supply management system MY-RTSM, the health secretary ePRO, and the clinical research assistant eClinRO, among others.

Well-known industry tools, such as data query utilities, have retained their core competitive advantages and have become an “essential toolkit” for clinical research professionals. Mini-tools including institution registration lookup, investigator registration lookup, ethics committee lookup, ethics meeting date lookup, institutional clinical trial undertaking status (“Institution Ranking”), investigator clinical trial undertaking status (“Investigator Ranking”), and the “Institutional Ethics Contact Directory” are readily accessible and easy to use on the platform, thereby enhancing work efficiency.

Through Shanghai Mudi Biological Technology Co., Ltd. (the parent company of Drug Research Society)’s relentless industry cultivation and digital R&D, talent empowerment has remained a constant value orientation. In response to the emerging trend of open and flexible employment models in the industry, the Trial.Link platform launchesChina's First Freelancer Platform, fully incubate the community of industry freelancers and build a supply-and-demand platform that aggregates high-quality industry talent.

In the clinical research industry across Europe and North America, freelancers have become a mainstream workforce. Their extensive experience, strong sense of responsibility, and consistent track record of high-quality deliverables provide sponsors, CROs, and SMOs with an exceptional hiring experience. At the same time, this model aligns with individuals’ desires for focused expertise, a reasonable match between skills and income, and a healthy work–life balance, creating a win–win situation for all parties involved.

On the Trial.Link platform, high-experience freelancers gain access after passing qualification assessments, enjoying incubation and support services provided by the platform. Meanwhile, talent seekers such as sponsors, CROs, and SMOs can quickly and precisely match with highly experienced professionals through the platform, addressing challenges and pressures related to lengthy team-building cycles, high training costs, and insufficient workforce experience, thereby reducing costs and improving efficiency.

The newly upgraded Trial.Link platform demonstrates superiority from a multi-dimensional perspective:

From a supply-and-demand perspective, the Trial.Link platform effectively breaks down information barriers between suppliers and demanders in clinical research, showcasing transaction opportunities, service introductions, and clinical research resources to a broader base of potential clients. This facilitates efficient matching of transaction needs and shortens the business matchmaking cycle. Meanwhile, the platform has established a transaction evaluation and credit system to help clients make informed selections.

From the perspective of clinical research professionals, the Trial.Link platform provides a one-stop suite of user-friendly and convenient application tools and services, offering freelancers a platform to realize their value and helping practitioners enhance efficiency and create value.

From a market perspective, the emergence of CRO/SMO hour-sharing and freelancer platforms encourages flexible staffing, free competition, and supply-demand balance, promotes network-wide collaboration, accelerates the growth of innovative enterprises, and unlocks market potential.

Tang Anbang, Head of the Business Development Division for the Trial.Link Platform at Mudi Biological Technology, stated: “The upgraded Trial.Link platform will deliver three core values. First is the integration of business supply and demand. Building on the platform’s standardized, process-driven, tool-enabled, and online governance capabilities for various business delivery processes, we fully leverage platform advantages to match demands with resources. Any market feedback or changes in supply and demand can be rapidly aligned through Trial.Link. Second is the maximization of human capital value, enabling clinical research professionals to focus on skill development, knowledge accumulation, and value realization, while other tasks are addressed through standardized processes and project management tools. Third is the commercialization of tools via a marketplace model. Centered on business scenarios as the starting point for tool application, we redefine the new concept of ‘Trial Office’—a clinical research-exclusive suite akin to Microsoft Office that is affordable, intuitive, and easy to use, thereby ensuring consistent service efficiency and quality.”

In recent times, the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented sense of urgency for digital transformation within the clinical research industry. In the post-pandemic era, clinical research requires a more open industry ecosystem, innovative work models, and proactive ecological collaboration to unlock the value of shared clinical research resources. To this end, we are accelerating the deployment of various platform services and applications to support our clients and partners in creating value more efficiently and adapting to the ever-changing market environment.

We look forward to leveraging this industry-first service trading platform ecosystem to facilitate the flow of information on clinical research resources, enable seamless matching of supply and demand, and promote the efficient application of knowledge and expertise. By unlocking the full potential for business growth across the industry, we aim to make pharmaceutical R&D more efficient, innovating and striving toward our mission of improving patients’ lives.