Consortium-Endorsed Master Mutual CDA Template

Across the research ecosystem, inconsistent CDA practices can add weeks or months of back-and-forth before sites see a protocol. The Site-Sponsor Consortium—an equally weighted coalition of sponsors, CROs, and research sites (including academic medical centers, health systems, and site networks)—recommends master CDAs between sponsors/CROs and sites, bi-directional confidentiality to avoid one-sided negotiations, and electronic signatures to eliminate manual routing. Together, these create a faster, simpler path to feasibility assessments, site selection, and startup planning without compromising legal protections.

While broad industry adoption of this template is an aspirational goal, it can also serve immediate, practical purposes. In the near term, individuals may use it as a conversation tool to explore incremental changes to their current organizational procedures. For example, a sponsor leader could propose transitioning to mutual/bilateral CDAs, while a site representative might recommend accepting non-specific governing laws.

Download the CDA template using the form below.