The 7th Symposium of the Swiss Clinical Trial Organisation was held on 16 June 2016 in Lausanne, this time in collaboration with the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) on “Building up the future generation of clinical researchers”.

Leading experts and stakeholders discussed the current opportunities and challenges to promote young physicians in the field of clinical research: What steps are taken to build up the future generation in Switzerland and also abroad? The SCTO Symposium 2016 aimed at giving a broad overview of the topic, opening the stage for high calibre senior and young(er) researchers. Besides the pharmaceutical industry's view and its needs, the various existing and attractive career opportunities were considered as well as the recommendations and plans for the future. 

The event concluded with the presentation of the FOPH’s national “Roadmap for Building up the Future Generation of Clinical Researchers”. National stakeholders shared their views on the roadmap’s content and the participants were invited to join this first public consultation. With this roadmap, the authorities are aiming to fill the existing gaps in the promotion programme for young researchers by systematically supporting clinical research-oriented physicians and scientists at each stage of their career path.

The presentations and the programme of this year's symposium can be found further below. The SCTO Symposium 2017 will take place on 1 June 2017 in Basel.

The SCTO invited researchers working within a Swiss institution performing or coordinating IITs to present their clinical research projects with a poster during the symposium. The three best posters were awarded a prize at the event.

The winners are:

1st prize (CHF 1'500)
Dr Daria Solari, CHUV Lausanne: "Hypertonic Lactate to Improve Cerebral Metabolism and Brain Perfusion in Critically Ill Patients with Hemorrhagic Stroke: a Phase-II Interventional Trial"

2nd prize (CHF 1'000)
Dr Alexander Kutz, University Department of Medicine, Kantonsspital Aarau: "The association of admission hyperglycemia and adverse clinical outcome in medical emergency patients depends on diabetic status - Results from the multi-national, prospective, observational TRIAGE study"

3rd prize (CHF 500)
Dr Marcus Mumme, University Hospital Basel, Departments of Surgery and of Biomedicine: "Nasal chondrocytes for articular cartilage repair: a phase 1 'first-in-human' clinical trial"