Western IRB (WIRB), a provider of ethical research review serving 2,300 academic medical centers (AMCs) and hospitals, announced an alliance with Huron, a global professional services firm serving the healthcare, higher education, life sciences and commercial sectors.

WIRB’s and Huron’s combined strengths can help institutions improve the effectiveness of clinical research for the development of new pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The alliance will provide clients with a wide range of administrative and clinical services that are integrated with empowering technologies to ease the financial, regulatory, and operational responsibilities of performing essential clinical research.

“Today, a number of factors have combined to make the conduct of clinical research challenging for many AMCs, hospitals and their researchers. These programs are facing a reduction in government-sponsored research grants, coupled with an increase in regulatory requirements,” said Donald Deieso, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer of WIRB-Copernicus Group. “They must respond by attracting external research funding, conducting research with improved financial management, and streamlining administrative burdens. By combining the extensive experience of WIRB and Huron in serving this community, we intend to provide comprehensive solutions that will have a positive impact for our clients at this important moment of change.”

Huron assists AMCs, cancer centers, health systems and community hospitals in managing their research programs. Huron has helped 99 of the nation’s top 100 research universities and more than half of the largest U.S. health systems achieve meaningful improvements.

Currently, more than 70% of AMCs and hospitals in the U.S. have named WIRB as their IRB-of-record for industry-funded research and regulatory advice and oversight.

“WIRB is quite simply the most trusted independent IRB partner to academic medical centers and hospitals,” said Stuart Horowitz, Ph.D., MBA, president of institutions for WIRB-Copernicus Group. “WIRB’s gold standard reputation with institutions, coupled with its deeply connected client base of industry research partners, provides a tremendous platform upon which institutions can grow their research programs.

“When you combine WIRB’s capabilities with those of Huron, institutions now have a complete solution to address all their research administration challenges,” Horowitz added.