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Hey student!

Earn some money while you study?

Participating in a clinical trial is good for you and for someone else. You contribute to the development of new medicines, and thus to a better life for patients. You will receive a nice reward for helping. You will also have time to study or to relax during the trial.

Participating in a clinical trial at ICON

How does it work?

The trial always takes place at the ICON research center. The research center is specifically for clinical trials. It is set up for your stay and participation in the trial. 

When you participate in a clinical trial, you have to do something for the trial a few times a day, such as a test or health check. But you also have a lot of time to yourself! You'll find everything you need to fill your time at the research center. Many students use this time to fully focus on their studies. Or just to consciously unwind.

Female participant is reading

In our research center

What are you going to do?

  • Prior to the trial, you will have a medical screening to determine whether you are eligible. This is possible in Groningen or Utrecht.
  • During the trial you will stay in the research center in Groningen (your travel costs will be reimbursed).
  • The ICON research center is like a hospital, but cozier. You eat, sleep and stay here together with the other participants.
  • The doctors and nurses perform their examinations at fixed times.
  • But you fill in the majority of the time yourself, for example by gaming, watching Netflixreading books or playing games with your fellow participants!
  • You can also participate in the workshops or other fun activities that we organize, such as bowling, a boat trip or a visit to a sports match.
  • With your participation you make a difference for people who need medicines, because you help with the development.
  • You will receive a reimbursment for your participation. The amount depends on the length of the trial.

Current trials

Find a trial that suits you

View all clinical trials
View all clinical trials

Every year, more than 2,000 people participate in clinical trials at ICON, such as Kirby.

Experience from a student

Will you help make the world better, just like Emiel and 33,698 others?

Emiel in the research center looks at camera
I had a quiet, pleasant and cozy stay and I definitely recommend it to others to participate if you want to do something good for someone else and easily earn some extra money.
Emiel Participant
Read more testimonials

Specialist in clinical trials

ICON specializes in clinical trials for more than 40 years. Together with our participants, we research new or improved medicines. When you participate in a clinical trial, you make a key contribution to the development of medications. That is crucial to us all, but even more so to patients who rely on medicines.

Would you like to know more about participating in a clinical trial? Then read our page How does it work? Or feel free to contact us.

ICON doctor looks into camera

Frequently asked questions

When you participate in a clinical trial, you have to do something for the trial a few times a day, such as having your blood pressure taken or a heart tracing. Apart from that, you have time for yourself. You can decide how to spend your time. There is plenty of entertainment at the research center like televisions with Netflix, PlayStations, board games and a pool table. But you could also use your free time to work or study.

You can take part if you:

  • are 18 years or older
  • have valid identification
  • are registered with a general practitioner
  • have health insurance
  • are healthy
  • have not recently used medicines or addictive substances
  • last participated in a clinical trial no less than 30 days ago

If you don't have a Dutch passport or Dutch identification, you need a passport that has been issued by one of the countries belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA). You can also participate with a valid residency permit issued by the Netherlands and a permit to work in the EEA. Before your medical screening, ICON will make a copy of these documents. 

During the trial, you may suffer from mild symptoms like headache or nausea. That may be caused by the medication. It might also be caused by needing to fast for the trial, for example. Those side effects are no fun, but fortunately are not dangerous.

Before a medication is tested on people, it has already been studied extensively in a lab. This enables us to predict well which side effects you might get and we can prepare you for them. It almost never happens that participants suffer from unexpected side effects. For example, an allergic reaction to the medication occurs on average once a year.

When we test a medication on healthy people, we are only studying how the medicine works in the body and whether there are any side effects. A test on patients will follow. In that trial, we look at whether the medicine works for a certain illness or condition.

The amount of money you receive for your participation in a clinical trial is determined by the duration of the trial. The longer the trial takes, the higher the compensation. But there are also other factors that determine the amount of the compensation awarded, such as special medical procedures.

Without research no new medicines

New research would not be possible without participants like you. And that would mean there would be no new medicines for patients.