Building partnerships of excellence

The ISN Sister Renal Center (SRC) Program helps improve how nephrology is practiced in emerging countries by linking emerging renal centers or units with established centers of excellence in the developed world.

Over 6 years, they build long-lasting and stable partnerships between a center in the developing world and another in a developed country, training local staff in state-of-the art clinical practice. These links become active hubs for implementing disease-preventive strategies within specific regions. A Trio Program can also encourage sister centers to grow further and potentially support other centers in their region once they have graduated.

The SRC Program nurtures a partnership between two centers by supplying a framework and list of benefits depending on their status level (C, B or A) within the program. Successful centers which show documented accomplishments progress within the program acquiring greater support and more benefits.

Application deadline: October 1st  each year

Every level has a status

• Level C is the first stage within the program. Sister center partnerships jointly enter the program at Level C for a period of two years. They receive basic annual funds from ISN to help develop and support training links. These centers are eligible for an upgrade to a level B position if the progress reports are satisfactory.
• Level B is the second stage within the program. Sister center partnerships which have shown significant progress in Level C can move to Level B after two years and receive further funding and benefits.
• Level A is the final stage. Level B centers can apply competitively for an upgrade to Level A after two years. These upgrades are reserved for those few partnerships whose emerging sister centers show the most promising development towards centers of excellence in their region.
• Honorary C or B Levels are failed upgrades from C to B and from B to A which have one additional chance to apply for an upgrade.

Sister Renal centers  Program Guidelines and other important information for your submission are available on the online submission site.