Landmark 10th annual awards program, which received over 5,000 entries, recognizes the most innovative digital health and medical technology solutions worldwide
COLUMBIA, Md., – May 7, 2026 – Advarra, the market leader in IRB oversight and a leading provider of connected, intelligence-powered research technology, today announced that Advarra’s Study Design solution has been awarded “Best Clinical Study Design Solution” in the 10th annual MedTech Breakthrough Awards program.
Advarra’s Study Design solution disrupts the status quo of protocol optimization by providing deep insights into operational efficiency. Powered by Braid™, Advarra’s data and AI platform, Study Design leverages the industry’s richest trial operations dataset—spanning over 170,000 digitized study documents and more than 100,000 modifications across studies conducted by 3,500+ sponsors. This data comes from 60,000+ studies reviewed by Advarra’s IRB and operationalized within its clinical trial systems.
Advarra’s Study Design solution pinpoints the specific protocol attributes most likely to drive downstream challenges, including insights on the rationale for amendments and patient burden based on eligibility criteria, schedules of assessment, and objectives and endpoints. Its AI-powered insights are delivered through a tailored service and an app with data visualizations and conversational AI capabilities. The solution enables faster, more confident decisions and continuous iteration across stakeholders, supporting smarter protocol design from early planning through conduct.
“By delivering earlier visibility into feasibility risks, Advarra’s Study Design solution helps sponsors and CROs make more confident design decisions,” said Steve Johansson, managing director, MedTech Breakthrough. “When designing clinical trial protocols, organizations are constrained by insights from fragmented, internal sponsor records or public datasets, leaving critical data out of reach. This results in delayed timelines, site and patient burden, and costly amendments. Advarra Study Design ensures operational signals are no longer siloed, analog, or inaccessible, transforming historical, cross-industry data into actionable guidance from the outset. Congratulations to Advarra for being our choice for ‘Best Clinical Study Design Solution.’”
The MedTech Breakthrough Awards have spent the last decade recognizing the companies driving meaningful progress and improving patient care across the global health and medical technology industry. This year’s program drew a record-breaking number of nominations—over 5,000—from leading companies and startups across more than 20 countries, reflecting the growing global impact and momentum of the digital healthcare industry.
“We’re proud to see MedTech Breakthrough recognize the impact Advarra’s Study Design solution is having on the industry, as more organizations begin to realize the value of protocol optimization insights driven by digitized protocols and operational data,” added Brian Hart, CTO of Advarra. “Study Design helps close the operational ‘missing link’ in clinical trial design—giving sponsors the evidence-based intelligence to reduce unnecessary complexity for sites and patients.”
Media Contact
Alyson Levitz-Jones
alyson.jones@advarra.com / mediarelations@advarra.com
About Advarra
Advarra provides the platform, insights, and expertise that make clinical trials more efficient and connected. As the leading independent IRB, we bring more than 40 years of trusted oversight to the industry, setting the standard for ethical reviews while building the largest collection of digitized protocols and operational data. This combined intelligence guides the protocol’s entire journey—from design through review, activation, and conduct—fueling a smarter, more adaptive research ecosystem.
Backed by decades of partnership with research sites, Advarra delivers the core systems and services that 50,000 investigators and their study teams depend on for optimal trial operations. Integrated with our solutions for study design, startup, and conduct, these capabilities create a collaborative technology platform trusted by sponsors and CROs globally.
By designing AI-powered workflows that streamline operations, reduce administrative burden, and promote transparency for all study stakeholders, we’re reimagining what’s possible in clinical research. Learn more at www.advarra.com.
About MedTech Breakthrough
Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the MedTech Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence and innovation in medical & health technology companies, products, services and people. The MedTech Breakthrough Awards provide a platform for public recognition around the achievements of breakthrough healthcare and medical companies and products in categories that include Patient Experience & Engagement, Health & Fitness, Medical Devices, Clinical Administration, Connected Healthcare, Medical Data, Healthcare Cybersecurity and more. For more information visit MedTechBreakthrough.com.
Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.