PRA, a global CRO, has received a $400,000 grant from the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) to create 80 new jobs this year in Kansas. The graduates will be part of the PRA (Preparing for Research Advancement) Program, an innovative career opportunity for new college graduates interested in clinical research and the CRO industry.

PRA, based in Raleigh, N.C., employs nearly 500 people in Lenexa, Kansas. The Lenexa facility includes a business office, a phase I clinic and a bioanalytical laboratory. It is the largest of PRA’s 50+ offices around the world.

“There is a shortage of talent in the CRO and pharmaceutical development industries,” said David Dockhorn, executive vice president of PRA. “We’ve developed the PRA Program to bring new applicants into the industry. Our goal is to train them and get them into the workforce.”