Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your Certification!

Site costs in clinical trials refer to various financial aspects that a clinical site incurs for conducting a study. These costs are essential for the operational management of a clinical trial and can include a range of expenses directly associated with the study processes.

Startup fees, ethics committee/institutional review board (EC/IRB) fees, and close-out fees represent typical site costs because they are part of the financial commitments that sites need to fulfill before, during, and after the trial. Startup fees often cover the initial setup activities, including training and site preparation. EC/IRB fees are necessary for obtaining ethical approval to conduct research involving human subjects, ensuring that the study complies with regulatory requirements. Close-out fees are associated with the completion of the study, where data may be finalized, study materials returned, and the site formally closed to the sponsor.

While travel expenses, personnel costs, and patient recruitment costs play significant roles in the overall budgeting for a clinical trial, they are specific categories of expenditure rather than broad site costs. Travel expenses may need to be reimbursed for staff traveling to the site or patients attending appointments, and personnel costs refer to the wages and benefits for staff working on the trial. Patient recruitment costs pertain to expenses related specifically to finding and enrolling