Approximately 1,000 research studies are concurrently conducted at Shaare Zedek on a wide range of topics and with hundreds of companies and organizations. In 2022 alone, over 400 new requests for approval of medical research studies were submitted to the Institutional Review Board, more than half of which were industry-initiated.
Contracts
The Contracts Unit facilitates and manages the administrative and legal aspects necessary for conducting clinical trials with healthcare organizations, universities, and commercial companies in Israel and worldwide. The significance of this unit is substantial, as surveys have shown that the legal administration between organizations is the primary hindrance to launching new research. The unit's team operates collaboratively under one roof and in partnership with professional consultants, handling all aspects of the agreement and bridging the involved parties, including the research initiator, CRO, legal advisors, researchers, and research coordinators. The unit provides services for a wide variety of agreements, including investigator-initiated research funded by industry, consulting and service agreements, research agreements, confidentiality agreements, and more. The contract review turnaround time usually stands at 3-5 days in most cases.
Research Coordination Unit
At Medait, there exists a research coordination unit that assists researchers in conducting clinical trials across various departments and units. The unit was established as a growth engine with the aim of encouraging and supporting research taking place in departments and initiatives in the context of all types of research. Experienced research coordinators in the unit assist researchers in all stages of research, from submissions to the Institutional Review Board, budget management, patient recruitment, data collection, and maintaining continuous communication with monitors and research sponsors. The unit also supports the use of the REDCap platform for data collection from clinical trials and any other necessary needs. Researchers can seek assistance from the unit on a case-by-case or global basis.