For many research sites, navigating the clinical trial landscape can be very intimidating. Gaining credibility, making meaningful connections with sponsors and CROs, and finding new study opportunities can be difficult and time-consuming. Doing these things while also conducting high-quality research can be even more challenging. 

The need to choose sites again for each new study is often time-consuming and inefficient. Moreover, the increase in the number of clinical trials and the different exclusion and inclusion criteria across trials have created challenges for selecting sites that perform well. Site network clinical research effectively addresses these concerns and provides cost savings by reducing the total number of sites used and recruiting a large volume of patients.

What Is A Site Network?

A clinical investigative site network is a group of clinical sites represented under one entity and chosen using specific criteria. With a site network, you have access to many sites through one central entity, including one point of contact for all site-related communications and site feasibility assessments over the entire duration of the trial and multiple sites. It allows the team to focus their attention on more critical areas such as patient care and data quality.

Here are reasons why every clinical research site should choose a site network:

Introductions to New Sponsors/CROs:

A vast part of securing study opportunities for your research site is establishing relationships with sponsors and CROs, but establishing these relationships is easier said than done. Another benefit of joining a site network is that site networks already have good relationships with many different sponsors and CROs, which pressure off research sites to form these relationships. By taking the pressure of forming relationships with sponsors and CROs off of your research site, you can focus on what is important – your patients and your research.

Streamlined and Accelerated Study Start-Up Process:

Study start-up times are a challenge for sponsors, CROs, and sites alike, but joining a site network can significantly accelerate and streamline this process. Site networks can accelerate the study-start up process in many different ways, including assisting with submission processes, negotiating contracts with sponsors and CROs, and helping with patient recruitment. By improving study start-up times, research sites can build their reputation while still maintaining their patients and research.

Single Point of Contact:

Effective communication between research sites and sponsors, and CROs is crucial for the clinical research process, but this process isn’t always easy. Site networks can benefit from a single point of contact between research sites and the sponsor/CROs, which makes the communication process much simpler for both parties.

Because every organization and study have unique needs, finding a site network that provides the required resources is essential. Plus, understanding these differentiating factors for site networks can help evaluate and select the most appropriate network.