What is the Joinder Agreement?

Applies to: Agreement V3.0

The Joinder Agreement is the short document your institution signs to become a party to the SMART IRB Reliance Agreement. Because the Agreement is open to any eligible institution at any time, there is no single execution copy and there are no founding parties; each institution signs its own Joinder and becomes bound to the same terms as every other Participating Institution.

By signing, your institution:

• agrees to all terms of the Agreement;
• agrees that it may rely on the IRBs of other Participating Institutions and that they may rely on its IRB (as applicable); and
• represents and warrants that it meets the eligibility criteria.

How it is executed. The Reliance System generates an institution-specific Joinder and routes it to your Institutional Official for electronic signature through Adobe Sign. Do not sign the sample Joinder attached to the Agreement as Exhibit B — it is there for review only.

Effective Date. The Agreement takes effect for your institution on the date the Official signs. Actual participation begins when SMART IRB activates your institution, usually within a business day.

When your Institutional Official changes. You do not need to re-execute the Joinder. Update the Institutional Official in your Contact Lists.

When the Agreement is amended. Whether a new Joinder is required is decided amendment by amendment. Version 3.0 required a new Joinder because it was a significant amendment; see How the Agreement is amended.

See also - Join SMART IRB (step by step) - Join the optional Indemnification Addendum - View your signed Joinder and Indemnification agreements