WIRB-Copernicus Group Announces Release of IRBNet National Research Network® 2012 Benchmark Report

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- WIRB-Copernicus Group, the world's largest provider of regulatory and ethical review services for human research, today announced the release of the IRBNet National Research Network Benchmark Report, which provides important metrics regarding the timeliness, accuracy, and quality of review and oversight in the field of human subject research protection.

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IRBNet, the leading software application supporting institutional review boards (IRBs) in the U.S., publishes the annual National Research Network Benchmark Report to enable research institutions of all types and sizes to concretely measure their internal ethical review processes, compare their performance to other institutions, and use that data to drive improvements which will benefit research subjects, research programs, and the human subject research community.

"The Benchmark Report offers deep insights into compliance oversight that are not available elsewhere," said Andrew Olmsted, Executive Vice President of IRBNet. "This year's report provides a more complete picture of the major components of the IRB approval process, allowing readers to consider precisely how investigator and study coordinator activities contribute to IRB efficiency metrics."

The 2012 Benchmark Report includes more than 90 detailed performance metrics for biomedical and social / behavioral research institutions, based upon anonymous results from more than 100 individual hospital, university and government agency IRBs, and illuminates the activity and productivity of investigators, as well as the IRB administrative offices and reviewers charged with oversight responsibility.

"To run a high-performing research program, you must first create a holistic and objective picture of your research enterprise," said Nick Slack, Vice President for Consulting Services at WIRB-Copernicus Group. "The IRBNet technology solution not only provides an integrated view across internal and external sites and reviews, but generates metrics that reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the program in its entirety."

WIRB-Copernicus Group supports institutional clients with a comprehensive suite of IRB solutions, including outsourced review services, consulting and technology, to enable them to develop high-performing, competitive research programs that are attractive to industry sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs). WIRB-Copernicus Group clients also include the leading industry sponsors and CROs, who rely on the Group's independent IRB services and robust research site network of over 700 high-performing institutions for prompt, accurate and efficient review.

"Institutions large and small struggle with the challenge of maintaining the financial viability of their research programs," said Stuart Horowitz, Ph.D., President of Institutions & Institutional Services at WIRB-Copernicus Group. "Although there are several means by which institutions can address this challenge, they must first independently and objectively assess their performance and position in the research market. The IRBNet National Research Network Benchmark Report is the only available source of data to help them to do that."

Download the IRBNet National Research Network 2012 Benchmark Report at: http://irbnetresources.org/news/benchmark2012.html

About IRBNet
A WIRB-Copernicus Group Company

IRBNet offers the world's most widely used electronic solution for managing research compliance for institutions of any size, with more than 1,700 large, medium and small research institutions, boards and research sites registered on the National Research Network®. National Research Network® members benefit from secure online access to comprehensive research oversight tools anywhere, anytime, including real-time collaboration between investigators and institutions anywhere in the world. The National Research Network Enterprise Portal further enables institutions to navigate the complex federal ethics compliance requirements governing human, animal, and recombinant DNA research, while seamlessly managing Conflict of Interest, Sponsored Programs and other critical research oversight activities. With the release of the National Research Network 2012 Benchmark Report, IRBNet's unparalleled data-driven performance metrics make it easier than ever for universities and colleges, community hospitals, hospital networks, and federal and state agencies to benchmark internal performance and drive process improvement across multiple sites and complex organizational systems. For further information on IRBNet, please visit https://www.irbnet.org.

IRBNet and National Research Network are marks of Research Dataware, LLC. All rights are reserved and no use of the marks are permitted without the express written consent of Research Dataware, LLC.

About WIRB-Copernicus Group
The nation's leading independent institutional review boards (IRB's) are united to provide a comprehensive ethical review solution to sponsors, CROs and institutions. Guided by a team of ethical and regulatory experts, WIRB-Copernicus Group deploys decades of experience and best-practices in protocol compliance, operational excellence, financial performance and overall efficiency. With more than 60 years of combined experience reviewing research protocols and study-related information, it is the mission of WIRB-Copernicus Group to meet the highest standards of ethics and science, and to ensure the safety and welfare of subjects worldwide. For more information, visit www.wcgirb.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE IRBNet