Kick-off Meeting and First Training Event of the EDICT Doctoral Network Held in Galway

From September 23 to 25, 2026, the kick-off meeting and the first training event of the EDICT (Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials) doctoral network took place in Galway, Ireland, with the Catholic University of Croatia participating as a partner institution.

The event brought together 16 doctoral researchers and their supervisors from the project's partner institutions, marking the launch of the joint training program and research collaboration within the EDICT network. Doctoral candidates and supervisors had the opportunity to get acquainted, present their research, and begin developing the knowledge, skills, and partnerships that they will apply throughout the project to investigate equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials.

During the three-day program, training sessions were conducted on the core principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), and science communication along with the researcher's role in the public sphere as part of the "Standing Up for Science" workshop.

For the Catholic University of Croatia, participation in the EDICT network is particularly significant as CUC is hosting two doctoral research projects. The research will focus on the representation of equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in European clinical trials, as well as the attitudes and experiences of key stakeholders regarding inclusivity in clinical research. The supervisor for the doctoral researchers at CUC is Prof. Livia Puljak, PhD.

About the Project

EDICT is a Doctoral Network (DN) funded under the Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) program. The project connects academic, clinical, and other partner organizations across Europe with the goal of training a new generation of researchers and developing knowledge, methodologies, and practical solutions that will contribute to more inclusive and representative clinical trials.

More information about the project and the program of the first training event is available on the official EDICT project website: