Tufts CTSI aims to sustain and grow innovative resources, services, and policies that support and promote collaborative, cross-disciplinary, full-spectrum translational research.

Our comprehensive research services are designed to increase:

  • Investigator productivity
  • Development of novel research methods
  • Preparation and submittal of multi-institution, interdisciplinary proposals
  • Early-stage research projects with translational potential
  • Participation of community members in clinical and translational research.

Download a brochure about Tufts CTSI’s research services (PDF).

Not sure where to start? Follow these steps:

Design your study.
Initiate your study.
Conduct your study.
Close out your study.

Design your study

Develop your study idea.

  • Stakeholder and Community Engagement (SCE) and Integrating Underrepresented Populations in Research (IUPR) engage stakeholders to ensure research is relevant. IUPR also advises on meeting the new NIH Inclusion Across the Lifespan requirements.
  • The Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Research Study Design (BERD) Center provides easily accessible epidemiological/study design and biostatistical consultations and collaborations. They can also advise on primary and secondary outcomes to be included in Clinical Trials.gov reporting.
  • The Evaluation Service consults and collaborates to design program evaluations, often using surveys and qualitative methods.
  • Regulatory Knowledge and Support (RKS) services expedite protocol development by assisting research teams with guidance on protocol optimization for regulatory compliance and consent requirements.
  • Tufts CTSI also offers assistance with Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) charter development, setup, meetings and consultations.
  • The Recruitment and Retention Support Unit (RRSU) provides customized recruitment services, including advice and support to develop recruitment plans, strategies for identifying eligible participants, and recruitment strategies.
  • OVPR: the Tufts CTSI Research Development Specialist also assists with grant proposal development and identifying the most relevant funding mechanisms with a specific interest in the development of large multi-center grant proposals across Tufts CTSI partners.
  • T.5 Capacity in Medical Devices provides consultations to support research teams, spanning preclinical and T1-2 topics, including prototype design and clinical applications, and regulatory and intellectual property support.

Assess study feasibility.

  • Informatics provides cohort discovery services to identify study populations based on inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Find collaborators.

Put in a service request for connection to the following via our Navigators:

  • The Research Collaboration Team (RC Team) offers consulting services to assist in building research teams, connecting collaborators, and promoting sustained involvement of diverse stakeholders and community members in clinical and translational science from study concept to the dissemination of results.
  • Multi-site Clinical Research Center (MCRC) services include site identification for multi-site trials and consultations on the use of the central IRBs, master protocol templates, master agreements, and a Data Coordinating Center (DCC) for all affiliated investigators. Personnel from the MCRC are also available to serve as a liaison for Tufts and Tufts affiliated investigators to access additional services from the Trial Innovation Network (TIN). The TIN is a collaborative initiative within the CTSA program which works to support multi-site clinical trials.

Submit funding application.

Access other consulting services to improve study design and funding proposals.

Tufts CTSI offers expert consultations in Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) to provide evidence for the relative benefits, harms, and resource consumption of alternative treatment strategies; One Health for interdisciplinary approaches to optimizing health at the intersection of humans, animals, and the environment; and Nutrition Intervention Research (NURISH) study designs to minimize barriers that impede the translation of human nutrition research into public policy.

Initiate your study

Apply for INDs/IDEs and Certificates of Confidentiality.

  • Regulatory Knowledge and Support (RKS) assists research teams with investigational drug management requirements and serves as a resource for internal and FDA audits.
  • Our Research Participant Advocate is a resource for our research community and participants throughout the research process regarding research ethics, participant rights, and research safety.

Get study approval.

Train personnel.

  • Professional Education provides research teams with access to the training they need to conduct their studies including Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and data management training.
  • Informatics offers training and consultations on the features and research uses of REDCap.

Build data collection forms.

  • Tufts CTSI partners and collaborators can request access to the HIPAA-compliant REDCap, a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases.
  • In collaboration with Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Research Study Design (BERD) Center, Informatics consulting services can also recommend other approaches to data management plan development, the database design, and setup of data quality checks.
  • Informatics can also assist with identification of common data models, common data elements, and other data standards, collection of provenance data for research reproducibility.

Recruit participants.

Optimize study workflow.

Conduct your study

Conduct participant visits.

Collect and access data.

  • Tufts CTSI partners and collaborators can request access to the HIPAA-compliant REDCap secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases.
  • In collaboration with Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Research Study Design (BERD) Center, Informatics consulting services can recommend other approaches to data management plan development, the database design, and setup of data quality checks.
  • Informatics can also assist with identification of common data models, common data elements, and other data standards, collection of provenance data for research reproducibility.
  • For program evaluations, the Evaluation Service can assist with conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

Submit an IRB Continuing Review and IRB Amendments.

Address any problems that arise.

  • Research Process Improvement (RPI) services assist research teams with problem-solving study challenges and modifying study procedures to ensure successful study completion.
  • When compliance issues are identified, Research Administration and departments can refer research teams to the Regulatory Knowledge and Support (RKS) Tufts Blue Star Program for additional training and mentoring on regulatory compliance.

Close out your study

Get help with data analysis.

Publish your manuscript.

Cite Tufts CTSI.

  • Please help to ensure the future of clinical and translational research at Tufts. Cite the NIH CTSA award any time you use Tufts CTSI resources, services, and facilities: UM1TR004398.

Close out on ClinicalTrials.gov.

Publicize your study.