The Union has played an active role in TB research since the early 1960s, when it participated in the first international collaborative clinical trial that validated Sir John Crofton's "Edinburgh method" as the gold standard for TB treatment. Subsequent trials studied the efficacy of chemotherapy in previously untreated patients, the reliability of chest X-ray reading and reporting, sputum-smear microscopy, BCG adverse reactions, self-administered versus supervised treatment regimens and other issues.

The Union established the Clinical Trials Division in 1996 to a) initiate and conduct trials of new drugs and/or combined regimens for tuberculosis treatment, b) develop a strong international network of clinical trial centres and c) ensure the ability of its centres to conduct trials meeting the requirements of Good Clinical Practices (GCP) and Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).

In addition, a network of laboratory experts was established to assess and monitor the quality of the laboratories participating in trials. It is expected that the technical and professional capacity developed through these trials will have a lasting impact on the technical knowledge and skills available in the countries to test and implement new TB care and treatment technologies as they become available.

Currently, The Union has two clinical trials underway, and it is a collaborator in several proposals that have been submitted to donor bodies for funding.