All 14 Toronto academic hospitals sign one research agreement

Starting a research study across two or more Toronto hospitals used to take more than a year of legal work. To cut that time, all 14 of the city’s university teaching hospitals, the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), have now signed one agreement covering their joint research, the University of Toronto said. Each joint project used to need its own legal contract; now a signed letter is enough, though each hospital keeps its own rules on ethics, privacy and security.

To test the approach, CAMH and University Health Network began a pilot in December 2024, and Sunnybrook and Unity Health Toronto joined a year later. In the pilot, the time to start a study fell from 448 days to 109. One Sunnybrook and Unity Health project began in 34 days, said Sunnybrook’s Michael Kolios.

The stakes go beyond Toronto. Canada’s clinical trial activity fell 11% in 2024, and its world rank for company-run Phase 3 trials, the large final tests before a treatment is approved, fell from fifth to eighth. TAHSN chair Sarah Downey, chief executive of CAMH, said the agreement strengthens Canada’s ability to attract research investment and talent.

Sources: University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine · Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN)