Navigating innovation, readiness, and experience in a rapidly evolving landscape.
The clinical research industry is entering a defining era. Scientific innovation is accelerating globally, expectations for speed and quality are rising, and the operational realities of running clinical trials have never been more complex. To help sponsors, CROs, sites, and research professionals prepare for what’s next, WCG’s 2026 Trends and Insights Report explores the forces shaping the future of clinical research and what they mean in practice.
Drawing on WCG’s deep experience across regulatory and ethical review, clinical trial operations, and participant engagement, this year’s report examines the four critical themes that will define success in 2026 and beyond:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Clinical Trials: How AI and ML are moving from experimentation to embedded capability, transforming decision making while raising governance and trust considerations.
- Site and Investigator Readiness: Why readiness must be treated as a continuous asset, and how data-driven insights, engagement strategies, and realistic trial design can help reduce delays and variability.
- Participant Experience, Engagement, and Retention: The shift from participant-centric to participant-driven research and how experience-led clinical trial design improves recruitment, retention, data quality, and trust.
- Cell and Gene and Advanced Therapies: The operational realities of bringing highly complex, high-impact therapies to patients, from site readiness and logistics to long-term follow-up and regulatory coordination.