Sponsor
In Roles & organizations
The sponsor is the organization or person who takes responsibility for starting, managing, and financing a clinical trial. Sponsors are usually pharmaceutical or device companies, but can also be universities, hospitals, or research networks. The sponsor is accountable to regulators for the trial even when it delegates the work to others.
Why it matters
Almost every requirement in GCP is written as either a sponsor duty or an investigator duty. Knowing which side you are on tells you whose SOPs you follow.
Example
A sponsor hires a CRO to monitor its trial. If a site is found to be enrolling ineligible participants, it is still the sponsor the regulator holds to account.
Related terms
Turn the vocabulary into a career
The free CRLN Career Finder maps your background to a clinical-research role and builds a step-by-step roadmap. No cost, no card.
Get your free roadmap →Educational reference only. Where regional rules differ, follow the regulation and the written procedures that apply where you work.