2024 MARKS THE 20TH YEAR of the ACORD initiative and will be our ninth biennial 1-week Protocol Development Workshop to be held at The Pullman Magenta Shores, NSW. Over 500 early career clinical cancer researchers from 19 countries in the Asia Pacific have participated in our Protocol Development Workshops. Since 2004 over 600 others have participated in our half day Clinical Research Idea Starters’ Workshops, and 1-day Concept Development Workshops.

ACORD brings participants with new research ideas together with local and international experts who provide the knowledge, skills, experience and global perspectives needed to develop high quality clinical cancer research. The Workshop uses problem-based, participant-centred, adult-learning principles including short, interactive lectures combined with small group, problem-oriented, protocol development sessions focusing on both clinical research methods, and on oncology sub-specialties. Participants also benefit from individual feedback from multiple experts as they develop their research protocols, and from the opportunity to establish ongoing, long term, research collaborations.

The ACORD initiative has been made possible by longstanding collaborations of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the National Cancer Institute of the United States (NCI), the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA), the Cancer Council of Australia (CCA), and Cancer Australia.

Our next ACORD Protocol Development Workshop is scheduled for 22 - 27 Sept 2024, at The Pullman Magenta Shores, New South Wales. It is shaping up to be our best!