When Dr. Bruner, Senior Vice President of Research, commissioned the Research IT Task Force in 2019, one of the group’s recommendations was to lower the cost barrier of IT solutions. As a result, we are excited to announce enterprise availability for the REDCap and OpenSpecimen platforms. All research teams will soon be able to utilize these tools at no additional charge.

As of late May, all Emory researchers gained access to REDCap software as part of the standard suite of software available to the community. REDCap is a web-based application designed to support data capture for research projects. It can be customized to support a variety of data types, including features for importing data and exporting to statistical packages. The research community can log in to the REDCap platform [https://redcap.emory.edu/ ].

Users have the flexibility to design their own projects within the system. Additionally, resources are available from the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Laboratory Solutions team for teams seeking support. To access consultation, training and support for REDCap at no extra cost, [https://it.emory.edu/catalog/data-and-reporting/redcap.html ].

As FY2021 closes in August, OpenSpecimen will become available to all labs. OpenSpecimen is a HIPAA-compliant, web-based biobanking platform that streamlines the process of sample management, primarily collected and tracked for research purposes.  It provides a central location for researchers to enter, track, and retrieve data for the collection, storage, quality assurance, reporting and distribution of biospecimens.

OpenSpecimen is flexible, easy to use, and quick to implement. Investigators and laboratory staff will be able to configure and manage the application autonomously.

We welcome input on ways that the software can be utilized to facilitate individual research as well as innovation.