Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of The CRA Union platform, websites, and services (collectively, the “Service”), operated by Philadelphia Pharmaceutical Research, LLC (“CRA Union,” “we,” “us”). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization.

1. What the Service is. The CRA Union is a professional network and marketplace that facilitates matching, communication, contracting, and payment between independent Clinical Research Associates (“CRAs”) and sponsors, CROs, sites, and other organizations (“Sponsors”). CRA Union is a neutral intermediary and payment facilitator. It is not a party to the engagement between a CRA and a Sponsor, is not the employer of any CRA, and does not supervise, direct, or control the performance of clinical monitoring work.

2. “Union” is not a labor union. “The CRA Union” is a brand name for a professional community and marketplace. It does not provide collective-bargaining representation, is not a labor organization, and does not negotiate wages, hours, or terms of employment on any person’s behalf.

3. Eligibility & accounts. You must be at least 18 and legally able to enter contracts. You agree to provide accurate information, keep your credentials secure, and are responsible for all activity under your account. Sponsor accounts may have multiple members; the organization is responsible for its members’ actions. New accounts are verified by email and may be subject to review before full access is granted.

4. Fees & payments. Creating an account and browsing is free. When an engagement is contracted through the Service, the Sponsor pays the CRA’s agreed rate plus a CRA Union facilitation fee (currently 10% of the CRA’s rate), and the CRA receives their full rate. Payments are processed by our third-party payment provider (Stripe); by transacting you also agree to the provider’s terms. Fees are disclosed before an engagement is finalized. Except as required by law or expressly stated, fees are non-refundable. Taxes arising from payments are the responsibility of the receiving party.

5. Independent-contractor relationship. CRAs engage with Sponsors as independent contractors, not as employees, agents, or partners of CRA Union or of the Sponsor unless a Sponsor separately agrees otherwise in writing. CRAs are solely responsible for their own licensure, certifications, training, insurance, equipment, business expenses, and for reporting and paying their own taxes. See the Independent-Contractor terms.

6. No guarantee. CRA Union does not guarantee that any CRA will obtain work, that any Sponsor will find a suitable CRA, or the accuracy of any profile, listing, match score, savings estimate, or travel/hours estimate. Match scores and estimates are informational only; billing is based on actual work performed and approved.

7. User responsibilities & conduct. Sponsors are responsible for qualifying CRAs and for study oversight and regulatory compliance. CRAs are responsible for performing engagements professionally and lawfully. You agree not to: misrepresent identity or qualifications; circumvent the Service to avoid fees on engagements sourced through it; scrape, reverse engineer, or disrupt the Service; upload malware; or harass other users.

8. Confidentiality, PHI & protocol information. You must not post protected health information (PHI), patient-identifiable data, or confidential Sponsor or protocol documents except as expressly authorized. Protocol details (investigational product, full protocol, and training materials) are shared with a CRA only after they countersign the applicable non-disclosure agreement. You agree to the click-through NDA presented during negotiation and to keep confidential information confidential.

9. Verification & badges. “CRA Union Verified” and similar badges reflect checks we perform at a point in time and are not a warranty of a person’s qualifications, character, or fitness for any engagement. Sponsors remain responsible for their own due diligence.

10. Content & intellectual property. You retain rights to content you submit and grant CRA Union a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host and display it to operate the Service. The Service, its software, and its trademarks are owned by CRA Union or its licensors; no rights are granted except as needed to use the Service.

11. Equal opportunity. Discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics is prohibited. Matching uses only professional qualifications, logistics, and stated preferences.

12. Disclaimers. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

13. Limitation of liability. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CRA UNION WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS OR DATA. OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE FEES WE RETAINED FROM THE TRANSACTION GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS OR US $100. (Some jurisdictions do not allow these limits; they apply to the extent permitted.)

14. Indemnification. You agree to indemnify and hold CRA Union harmless from claims arising out of your use of the Service, your engagements, your content, or your violation of these Terms or of law.

15. Dispute resolution & governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Before filing any claim, you and CRA Union agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally by written notice and to negotiate in good faith for 30 days. If unresolved, any dispute will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, seated in Pennsylvania, and not as a class, collective, or representative action (class-action waiver). Either party may instead bring an individual claim in small-claims court. You may opt out of arbitration by written notice within 30 days of first accepting these Terms; if you opt out, or if the arbitration agreement is unenforceable, disputes will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Pennsylvania. [Counsel to confirm the arbitration/class-waiver approach, or substitute exclusive Pennsylvania-court jurisdiction, and finalize AAA rules/venue.]

16. Suspension & termination. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or present risk. You may stop using the Service at any time. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (fees owed, confidentiality, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnity) survive.

17. Changes. We may update these Terms; material changes will be notified through the Service or by email, and continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

18. Contact. Questions about these Terms: Philadelphia Pharmaceutical Research, LLC, 7067 Corning Road, Zionsville, PA 18092, contact us.