WVU uses the following reliance agreement platforms for multi-site projects (in addition to tracking the individual project details in WVU+kc). Contact the OHRP at reliance@mail.wvu.edu for questions about which of these arrangements may be helpful for your project.
Smart IRB is not an Institutional Review Board (IRB). It is a national platform (web-based portal system) used to facilitate a single IRB of Record for multisite research projects. The system includes corresponding documents such as the SMART IRB Master Reliance Agreement. The NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences sponsors this platform but it can be used for any study regardless of funding type. Since SMART IRB includes a Master Reliance Agreement, an IAA is not required, however the consent form, protocol, and local study details must be reviewed by WVU.
Smart IRB Learning CenterUse IREx when WVU is the IRB of Record.
A free web-based portal supporting IRB review documentation and coordination for multi-center clinical trials. IREx is offered by Vanderbilt University Medical Center. An IRB Authorization Agreement is required for IREx as a master agreement is not included with the platform.
What is IREx?A network of 27 regional centers across the U.S., which involves approximately 500 hospitals, and is designed to serve as the infrastructure and pipeline for new treatments for patients with stroke and those at risk for stroke.
NIH Strokenet