FAQs

All participants entering Nucleus Network’s Brisbane & Melbourne clinics are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and present their certificate on arrival.

As a clinical trial participant, you are reimbursed for your time, travel expenses, parking, and inconvenience. This includes a reimbursement for your screening visit of $150 to $250.

If you are deemed to be ineligible after your screening visit due to a medical result, you will receive this screening reimbursement within a month of your screening appointment.

Read the terms & conditions to learn more.

Nucleus Network reimburses all participants for their time. Payment varies depending on the length of the trial.

Generally speaking, you will be reimbursed between $400 and $600 per day that you spend at the clinic. Based on the length of the study, this can quickly add up. We sometimes have studies that run for an entire month - you do the math!

The reimbursement that you receive is not assessable income for tax purposes and it does not have an impact on social welfare payments like JobSeeker. We suggest that people who participate in multiple clinical trials in a year seek specific tax advice.

For the safety of our participants & the quality of our studies, we have limitations on how often you are able to participate in a clinical trial:

• You can only participate in 1 clinical trial at a time - we don't know how the different medications might interact with each other
• Between each trial, there is a washout period to ensure that no medication is left in your body before you begin the next trial
• You are only allowed to participate in 4 clinical trials every 12 months

We have dozens of different clinical trials each year, and we are happy to have a lot of regular participants who participate in multiple clinical trials each year.

So if you enjoy your time with us, and we really hope you do, you are more than welcome to come back!

There is always some risk involved when participating in clinical trials. As with any medication (or vaccine), side effects are always a possibility. However, with Nucleus Network you can be sure you are in safe hands; we’ve performed over 800 clinical trials across our clinics.

Our trials are conducted in the heart of world-standard medical precincts. You’ll be monitored every step of the way by a team of dedicated and experienced research nurses and medical doctors, with state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Participant safety and well-being are always our priority. You’ll be provided with a detailed understanding of the study via an Informed Consent session with one of our doctors before you decide whether you want to participate.

All our trials are conducted in compliance with international and Australian regulations and are approved by an independent ethics committee.

You can read more about safety here: Phase 1 clinical trials - safer than you think

We do our best to make your stay at our clinic as comfortable as possible. You can read more about daily life in the unit on our Participant Information page.

You can also see what life in the clinic is like in our short introduction video.

Every trial is different, but typically you will receive one or more doses of the medication or vaccine that is being studied. You’ll then be closely monitored during your stay; staff will regularly check vital signs and conduct blood tests, physical exams, or any other necessary medical tests. In all studies, some volunteers do not receive the study medication, but instead receive a placebo (a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as a control).

There will usually be some checks each day, but for most of your time in the clinic you are free to do what you want. Study, work, watch Netflix, play videogames, socialise with other participants...the choice is yours!

We get that the word 'reimbursement' can be a bit confusing, but you do not have to pay us to participate.

Our participants are volunteers, which is why we use 'reimbursed' instead of 'paid'.

All of our studies have an individual reimbursement amount that covers your time & travel/parking expenses.

Whether you are 18 or 59, discovering the globe, studying, looking to couple your career with a cause, or a grandparent looking to make a difference, we need you. Volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, genders, and with a wide range of health profiles are essential to our studies. We will match you to trials based on your location (Brisbane or Melbourne) using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria included in the study protocol. Typically, you will only hear from us if you are likely to meet the requirements for that study.

You'll receive more information prior to your admission. As a minimum, we ask that you bring a form of photo ID and a reusable water bottle.

To reduce environmental impact, single-use water bottles will no longer be provided in our clinics. We have increased the number of water dispensers.

After the Informed Consent session, you will have a medical check to ensure you are in good health and meet the requirements of the study. We also need to confirm that you haven’t taken any recreational drugs and, in the case of female volunteers, are not pregnant.

Depending on the study there may be additional tests, but the medical review will normally include:

• Height & weight
• Vital signs
• Electrocardiogram
• Blood sample for blood test
• Urine sample for drugs of abuse test
• Alcohol breath test

It takes at least a couple of days to get your results back. They need to be reviewed by one of our Medical Officers and, if your results match the criteria for the study, you will be eligible to participate.

Absolutely! Tell your friends and family about Nucleus Network and the great work we do here and receive $500 when they complete their first study with us!

Learn more about our $500 referral bonus.

It depends on the study. Some of our shorter studies require you to stay for a short time (one to three nights), while longer studies can run for several weeks. You’ll be reimbursed according to the length of time you were required. To complete the study, you may then need to attend some short out-patient visits (usually 30-60 minutes).

While we have some vaccine studies that only require outpatient visits, we generally look for people who can stay at one of our clinics for at least 2 consecutive days & nights.

We have a variety of study schedules & dates, so you can definitely work around your job/studies/other commitments to participate in a clinical trial!

Because biological sex can play a role in how the medication is metabolised, you wouldn’t be eligible to take part in our studies if you have had gender-affirming surgery.

While inclusion is an important value for us, the safety of our participants always comes first. If you are taking medication (like hormone therapy), you are unlikely to qualify because we don’t know yet how the investigational treatment & your medication might interact. This could pose an unacceptable risk to your safety.

If you have not had gender-affirming surgery and are not taking medication, you could be eligible to participate in our studies. Please be aware that your biological sex will be used in our study records.

Our studies are only the first phase of clinical trials – interaction with medication would be studied at a later date, once potential interactions are better understood. You can find other clinical studies that you could potentially qualify for here: www.anzctr.org.au

No - all we require is some type of photo ID. This could be your passport or your driver's license (Australian or foreign) - give us a call on 1800 243 733 and we can discuss the options for you.

You do not need to have the right to work in Australia because volunteering as a clinical trial participant is not classified as work.

So whether you're in Australia for a couple of months or a couple of years, we'd love to speak to you about participating in one of our studies!

We may be biased - but we would definitely say we are legit! Nucleus Network was established with Victorian Government funding in 2003. Since then we have expanded from 1 to 3 sites in Australia and the United States. We have conducted over 1,000 clinical trials throughout the years, and we have worked with some of the biggest names in the pharmaceutical industry.

Don't want to take our word for it? Here is what ABC, The Age and 9News have to say about us.

Our trials are conducted in facilities embedded in leading medical precincts in Brisbane, Melbourne and Minnesota.

Click here for locations and here to read more about our facilities.

Our doctors will be happy to answer your questions, including:

• What are the risks to me?
• What is the intended use of the drug?
• What kind of procedures will be carried out?

Nucleus Network was acquired by Blackstone in March 2022. Our headquarter is located in Melbourne, where we have been active since 2003.

Volunteering for a clinical trial is a great way to make a real difference for millions of people worldwide. It is also an opportunity to get paid to meet people from all over the world and learn more about health and clinical development. You’ll also receive a free comprehensive medical review as part of the trial screening process.

We regularly have participants who travel several hours to participate, for which we are incredibly grateful.

One thing to keep in mind is that your participation is not guaranteed. It is possible that you fly in and you aren't eligible to participate for one of a variety of reasons.

If you live to the west of Melbourne, our screening clinic in Geelong may be more convenient for you. You can attend your screening and outpatient follow-up visits there, so you only have to go to Melbourne for your inpatient stay. You can learn more about the benefits of screening at the Geelong clinic here.

Clinical trials have never been more important than now - we have worked on studies of several COVID-19 treatments & vaccines.

The safety of our participants is always our primary concern. You can find more information about our COVID-19 safety measures here.

This is where you sit down with our doctors and ask as many questions as you like before consenting to the study. We will give you the Participant Information and Consent Form (PICF) that explains all you need to know about the study you are considering.

It details all potential risks and benefits as well as your rights and responsibilities. Before you participate you will be provided with all available information to inform your decision. At no point are you obligated to participate in the study.

Clinical trials are an essential part of delivering effective, safe treatments, vaccines, and other interventions to cure and manage a range of diseases. They help us understand the effectiveness, correct dosage, safety, and behavior of drugs in the human body. Conducting trials also allows us to see how drugs interact with other existing therapies or identify the best way to administer them e.g. a pill versus a patch.

Every single medication that is developed has to pass through clinical trials. Without clinical trial participants, there would be no COVID-19 vaccines, no new cancer treatments, no cheaper versions of existing medication... so it's safe to say that as a participant, you play a vital role!

You can find more information about clinical trials & why we do them here.