Clinical Network Services (CNS), an Australian, New Zealand and U.K. CRO focused on virtual, small and medium-sized biotech companies, and Biologics Development Consultancy (BDC), a Netherlands-based team of consultants providing regulatory and product development advice on development and commercial production, have signed a cooperative partnership agreement. CNS, and in particular the BioDesk consultancy, and BDC will mutually expand the expertise they can offer their clients.

Dr. Richard Turner will join the London team as principal consultant, assuming technical leadership of the U.K. office. Turner is a former pharmaceutical and scientific assessor at the Medicines Control Agency (now the known as the U.K. MHRA). He joins CNS from Daiichi Sankyo, where he was director of regulatory affairs, and also has worked in senior regulatory roles at Lonza Biologics, ERA Consulting, Elan and Antisoma.

CNS also announced it has been granted SME (Small and Medium Sized Enterprise) status by the E.C. and the centralized EMA. The EMA originally launched the designation of SME Office in 2005 based on European Commission Regulation (EC) No 2049/2005, focused on providing financial and administrative support to small and medium-sized enterprises. This initiative was developed to promote innovation and encourage the development of new products by SMEs.