WCG IRB Unification and Master Agreement Update

Dear Research Community,

On October 12, 2020, WCG announced the unification of its five industry-leading IRBs – Western IRB (WIRB), Copernicus Group IRB (CGIRB), Midlands IRB (MLIRB), New England IRB (NEIRB), and Aspire IRB – into the single WCG IRB brand. Please note that this change includes the launch of a new submission platform, WCG IRB Connexus. Their new website is here: https://www.wcgirb.com/

As of December 2, 2020, WCG IRB and Northwestern University have a fully executed master agreement for expedited processing of studies where WCG IRB will serve as the IRB of Record for Northwestern. In eIRB+ please select the new “WCG IRB” external IRB listing, and include a draft Master Agreement Acknowledgement Letter, for studies requesting Northwestern to cede review to WCG IRB. The WCG Master Agreement Acknowledgement Letter template is available on our website.

In addition, Sponsor/CRO’s can now submit updates and modifications to WCG IRB on behalf of Northwestern study teams. This update will only trigger for new review requests. Please note that any submission currently in process may still go through the existing workflow where site approval is required before proceeding. For general WCG IRB questions please contact clientservices@wcgirb.com or 1-855-818-2289. For Northwestern-specific questions please contact irbreliance@northwestern.edu. The IRB Office will post this information and additional resources to a dedicated webpage in a forthcoming website update.

Thank you, 

Northwestern University IRB Office