What does Vibrent Health’s FedRAMP Authorization Mean for Federal Research Programs?

Federal clinical research teams face a persistent challenge: how to manage the long and onerous procurement and security review to launch secure, compliant research studies quickly. With Vibrent Health’s Digital Health Research Cloud for Government now FedRAMP® Authorized (Moderate ATO) and listed in the FedRAMP Marketplace, that barrier is removed.

Built on the same platform supporting major federal initiatives such as NIH All of Us, NCI RADx, and BARDA NextGen, this authorization enables agencies to deploy participant-centric studies—integrating EHR, ePROs, wearables, genomics, and more—while meeting the government’s most rigorous data protection standards.

This Q&A explores what the milestone means for federal researchers, how it can accelerate timelines, reduce costs, and expand the types of data available for analysis.

What is FedRAMP, and why does it matter for my research?

Federal employees should be familiar with FedRAMP already, but it’s worth covering this topic for any other reader of this article.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) establishes a standardized, government-wide framework for evaluating the security of cloud services managing federal data. It ensures compliance with NIST SP 800-53, HIPAA, and other federal requirements—making it a prerequisite for cloud services used by federal agencies. With its new FedRAMP Moderate ATO, Vibrent Health’s Digital Health Research Cloud for Government is now permissible for use without additional agency-level reviews.

How does this change the process for launching research studies?

Because the platform already holds FedRAMP authorization and appears in the FedRAMP Marketplace, agencies that want to use our technology can skip the often-long, resource-intensive security assessments.

That means you can deploy studies, clinical trials, and registries more quickly, cutting down procurement delays while maintaining compliance. Launching participant-centric has never been easier – and you make progress today.

Can Vibrent expand the types of data available for my research?

Yes – Vibrent provides many configurable features to enhance your data collection.

EHR and Patient Clinical Histories

Through EHR Connect, Vibrent provides access to HL7 FHIR and OMOP data from more than 12,600 provider sites, integrating with clinical records, claims data, and lab systems.

Wearable and Real World Data

Vibrent integrates with a range of commercial and research-grade wearables to capture continuous physiological measures, including heart rate, activity, sleep, and temperature, alongside passive environmental and geolocation data. These data streams can provide high-resolution insights into participant behavior and health trends between clinic visits, enabling early detection of changes and supporting real-world evidence generation.

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs)

The platform’s ePRO capabilities allow participants to complete symptom diaries, quality-of-life questionnaires, and other validated instruments through secure mobile or web portals. This enables timely, structured data collection on subjective outcomes that are not captured in clinical records, enriching datasets with the research participant’s lived experience.

Cognitive Assessments

Vibrent supports digital cognitive testing, both self-administered and staff-guided, allowing researchers to track memory, attention, and executive function with digital methods. These assessments can be integrated into longitudinal study designs, enabling correlation of cognitive changes with biological, environmental, and behavioral data.

For longitudinal research, how can Vibrent technology enhance participant engagement?

Vibrent’s Participant Experience Manager (PXM) supports digital recruitment, eConsent, multilingual mobile engagement, and integration of wearables and sensors, allowing you to capture continuous, real-world data. This enables richer longitudinal datasets and the ability to study behaviors, physiology, and symptoms in real time.

What are some examples of federal research done with Vibrent?

Some publicly known examples of federal research initiatives that have used Vibrent’s platform include:

NIH All of Us Research Program
- One of the largest precision medicine research programs in U.S. history.
- Vibrent provides the participant-facing digital platform for eConsent, enrollment, surveys, and ongoing engagement, supporting more than 1 million participants nationwide.
- Includes integration of EHR data, biospecimen tracking, genomics, and wearables.
NCI RADx-UP (Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics – Underserved Populations)
- A National Cancer Institute component of the broader NIH RADx initiative.
- Vibrent supported digital recruitment, data collection, and participant engagement for COVID-19 testing and related health equity research in underserved communities.
BARDA NextGen
- Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s initiative to modernize pandemic preparedness.
- Vibrent’s platform facilitates rapid deployment of participant enrollment, health surveys, and remote data collection during emergency response research.
PCORnet Collaborations (with NIH and other federal partners)
- While PCORnet itself is not a single study, it’s a national research network funded in part by federal agencies. Vibrent has been used in multi-site pragmatic trials and participant-reported data collection within that ecosystem.
NIH-Funded Studies Various cancer research and clinical studies funded by NIH and conducted at NCI-designated cancer centers have used Vibrent’s ePRO, wearables, and multilingual engagement capabilities.

What tangible benefits can you expect?

Faster study initiation: The pre-authorized cloud platform eliminates redundant security review cycles.

Strong security posture: Adherence to federal-grade compliance gives confidence in handling PHI/PII.

Interoperable data flow: Seamless integration with EHR systems and standards-based APIs supports efficient data collection and analysis.

Future-ready adoption: As FedRAMP 20x progresses, expect even quicker access to approved platforms.

Academic research leaders, especially those at medical schools, cancer centers, and research institutes, may also have questions about the relevance of FedRAMP authorization. Here are some other topics, refined for the academic research community.

How does FedRAMP compliance compare with HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11, and our own institutional IT security standards?

FedRAMP provides a rigorous, government-wide standardized framework specifically designed to assess and authorize cloud service providers that handle federal data. Its baseline controls are based on NIST SP 800-53, which covers a comprehensive set of security and privacy requirements.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) focuses specifically on protecting patient health information (PHI) within healthcare and health research environments, mandating safeguards for confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

21 CFR Part 11 sets requirements for electronic records and signatures in FDA-regulated clinical trials, emphasizing data integrity, audit trails, and system validation.

Institutional IT security standards vary widely but typically encompass a range of physical, administrative, and technical controls aligned with both regulatory requirements and organizational risk tolerance.

FedRAMP’s value lies in providing a centralized, independently validated authorization that covers and often exceeds many common regulatory requirements. When a research software platform holds a FedRAMP Moderate Authorization, like Vibrent’s Digital Health Research Cloud, it means:

The environment is assessed against one of the most stringent federal security frameworks.

Controls are continuously monitored and independently audited.

Agencies and institutions can leverage this authorization to reduce duplication of their own security reviews.

So while this won’t replace your security review, it will likely be faster to complete and more likely to be approved than with other technologies.

Could this help us more easily partner with NIH, BARDA, ARPA-H, VA, or DoD on federally funded projects?

It certainly could. Federal agencies such as NIH, BARDA, ARPA-H, VA, and DoD are required to use cloud services that hold FedRAMP authorization for handling any federal data. By using Vibrent Health’s Digital Health Research Cloud, which already holds a FedRAMP Moderate Authorization, your institution can significantly simplify compliance requirements and procurement processes when collaborating on federally funded research.

This pre-approved cloud environment removes a major hurdle by eliminating the need for redundant, agency-specific security assessments. As a result, partnerships can be formed and studies launched more rapidly, enabling your team to focus on the scientific and operational aspects rather than lengthy IT approvals.

Will this make us more competitive when applying for federal research grants?

It’s possible. Using a FedRAMP-authorized platform like Vibrent Health’s Digital Health Research Cloud demonstrates that your research infrastructure meets stringent federal security and compliance requirements from day one. This can:

Reduce administrative and procurement barriers, helping ensure faster study start-up and execution.

Signal to grant reviewers and federal partners that your team is prepared to manage sensitive data securely and efficiently.

Facilitate collaborations with federal agencies that require FedRAMP-compliant environments, expanding your eligibility for certain programs and contracts.

While grant competitiveness depends on many factors, having access to a pre-authorized, scalable, and secure digital research platform strengthens your institution’s operational readiness, which is an important consideration in today’s funding landscape.

Can the platform be configured for multi-institutional collaborations with separate governance controls?

Definitely. In fact, Vibrent’s Digital Health Research Cloud was designed to support complex, multi-site studies involving multiple institutions. The platform includes robust role-based access controls, customizable user permissions, and configurable governance settings that allow each participating organization to maintain control over their data and workflows.

This means collaborators can securely share data and coordinate activities within a unified system while respecting institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and data privacy agreements. Such flexibility facilitates streamlined coordination for multi-institutional research, without compromising security or compliance.

How do we get started?

The first step to explore working with Vibrent’s FedRAMP authorized tools is to request a demo. It’s easy to do by clicking on this link.

Blog | August 14, 2025

What does Vibrent Health’s FedRAMP Authorization Mean for Federal Research Programs?

What is FedRAMP, and why does it matter for my research?

How does this change the process for launching research studies?

Can Vibrent expand the types of data available for my research?

EHR and Patient Clinical Histories

Wearable and Real World Data

Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROs)

Cognitive Assessments

For longitudinal research, how can Vibrent technology enhance participant engagement?

What are some examples of federal research done with Vibrent?

What tangible benefits can you expect?

How does FedRAMP compliance compare with HIPAA, 21 CFR Part 11, and our own institutional IT security standards?

Could this help us more easily partner with NIH, BARDA, ARPA-H, VA, or DoD on federally funded projects?

Will this make us more competitive when applying for federal research grants?

Can the platform be configured for multi-institutional collaborations with separate governance controls?

How do we get started?

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