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With its healthcare sector undergoing rapid development, China needs a strong foundation of regulatory knowledge for its researchers, engineers, healthcare professionals, and even the government. The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS; Rockville, MD) is helping by taking its regulatory knowledge abroad.
 

To that end, RAPS has announced an agreement to provide the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) with existing online course content that is currently offered through RAPS Online University. The course material will be adapted for USST’s students. In addition, RAPS will work with the university to develop new regulatory curricula and provide advice and support to the school’s faculty.
 

“USST is the only school in China offering bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD programs in medical devices and is in an important position for educating and training regulatory professionals in China and internationally,” says Baolin Liu, MD, professor and dean of USST’s School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering. “We had hoped to partner with RAPS, the leading international regulatory professional organization, and look forward to great success.”
 

The new joint venture will only focus on medical device regulations to start, but RAPS says that the partnership may be expanded to cover pharmaceuticals in the future. The coursework is aimed at three main audiences:

• Potential and new regulatory professionals.
• Scientists and engineers involved in medical technology R&D.
• Government inspectors.

“This partnership represents an important step forward for the global regulatory profession and further demonstrates the profession’s critical importance in the continued global expansion of the healthcare products sector,” says RAPS Chairman Mark Gordon. “RAPS is glad to be in a position to help connect regulatory professionals in emerging healthcare markets like China with the collective expertise of the worldwide regulatory community.”
 

RAPS had previously been in touch with contacts in Shanghai for a project along these lines, according to senior manager of communications Zachary Brousseau. A delegation from Shanghai also attended RAPS’s annual conference last year in Philadelphia. Still, such a collaboration is new ground for RAPS. Brousseau says the organization may look into similar partnerships in the future.