Patients who want to participate in potentially life–saving clinical research trials in South Carolina will find it easier to do so, thanks to a $4.8 million federal grant to the University of South Carolina’s Center for Healthcare Quality.

The funding, from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the federal government’s largest funder of medical research, will accelerate the development of a statewide internet– based research network that will enable patients to identify and volunteer for clinical research trials in the state, receive notifications of future research trials related to their condition and protect their personal health information.