The UK is making it quicker and easier to deliver high-quality clinical research, helping people gain access to innovative treatments sooner. By streamlining the way studies are set up and delivered, researchers, healthcare organisations and industry partners can work together more efficiently while maintaining the highest standards of safety and quality.
These improvements are helping to strengthen the UK’s position as a leading location for clinical research, attracting more studies and creating greater opportunities for patients to take part in research close to home. Faster research means new medicines and treatments can be evaluated more quickly, benefiting both current and future patients.
Clinical research plays a vital role in improving healthcare. Every study contributes to building evidence that helps shape future treatments, improve patient outcomes and advance medical knowledge. By taking part in research, participants are helping to drive the development of tomorrow’s healthcare.
The NIHR has reported the following on their website:
“New data published to coincide with Clinical Trials Day reveals that UK research sites recruited 100 global or European ‘first participants’ to commercial international studies across the past year (from April 2025 to March 2026).
This is a substantial jump from the 53 milestones reported in the same period the previous year.
A global first means a UK site was the absolute first in the world to enrol a patient into an international study. A European first means the absolute first in Europe.
Out of the 100 successes achieved this year, 32 were global firsts and 68 were European firsts. Geographically, England achieved 95 of these milestones, while Scotland secured 5.
Last year the UK notched up 3 times as many ‘firsts’ as it did 3 years previously (with 18 firsts in 2023, 46 in 2024, and 53 in 2025 – as reported in May each year).
This year, the NIHR recorded 591 commercial international studies opening across the country. This means nearly 17% of these studies successfully recruited a global or ‘European first’ participant.
