Advarra has linked its electronic IRB system, CIRBI, and its Study Collaboration platform so that sponsors and CROs can see the status of site‑activation tasks and IRB review in one place.

According to the company, this integration removes the need to switch between systems or update spreadsheets, making it easier to track every step between selecting a site and enrolling the first patient.

The company reports that more than 14,000 sites worldwide already use Study Collaboration to manage feasibility assessments, exchange documents and deliver training materials. Until now, IRB review status and site‑activation workflows have lived in separate systems, requiring study teams to log in to different portals or rely on manual updates. With CIRBI data now feeding directly into Study Collaboration, all start‑up milestones—such as submission of regulatory documents, IRB approval letters and site‑initiation visits—appear automatically in a single dashboard.

“This is about saving time and reducing errors,” said Ashley Davidson, vice president of sponsor technology strategy at the company. “When IRB reviews happen in CIRBI, Study Collaboration picks up the update immediately. Sponsors no longer have to chase sites for status updates, and site teams don’t have to duplicate their work in multiple tools. Everyone sees the current picture without extra effort.”

Manual tracking and email threads have long been a source of frustration for both sponsors and site staff. Study teams often spend hours consolidating data from different sources to answer basic questions—such as whether a site has completed training or received IRB approval. The company believes that automating the link between regulatory review and start‑up workflows will cut down on routine enquiries and free up teams to focus on patient recruitment.

Mark Morais, president and COO of clinical development at Fortrea, said the integration addresses a genuine need in study start‑up. “Sites already juggle multiple systems and timelines,” he said. “Having one place to see both IRB status and activation milestones means less back‑and‑forth and more predictability in the enrollment schedule.”

The integration also includes single‑sign‑on support, so users can move seamlessly between CIRBI and Study Collaboration without entering new credentials. According to the company, this feature reduces delays caused by forgotten passwords or access requests, further smoothing the start‑up process.

Regulatory review services are a core part of Advarra’s offering. The company claims its IRB system handles over 60 % of clinical trials in North America. By combining that volume of IRB data with the Study Collaboration workflow engine, the company expects to deliver a more accurate, real‑time view of site readiness across all phases of a study.

In practice, study teams will be able to pull reports showing which sites have cleared IRB review, which are preparing for initiation visits and which have already screened or enrolled patients. The company says this unified reporting capability will help project managers identify bottlenecks early and deploy resources where they are needed most.

By removing manual tasks and centralizing milestone tracking, the company believes its new integration will reduce the administrative burden on site staff, improve visibility for sponsors and ultimately speed up the path from protocol approval to first‑patient‑in.