It’s no secret that the entire clinical trials ecosystem is affected by painfully slow study start-up timelines. CTTI recently sought to investigate the factors that influence this crucial problem. After conducting a literature scan, in-depth conversations with sites and sponsor groups, and a working group meeting, CTTI released a report showing that budgets and contracts are significant contributors to delays.
During exploratory conversations, CTTI repeatedly heard from stakeholders that several process, infrastructure, and motivational factors influence timely budget and contract negotiations:
Based on the findings, the working group determined that streamlining clinical trial budgets would be more feasible and have a greater potential impact than streamlining contracts. Three potential areas for improvement include infrastructure and resource needs, communication and transparency, and budget review and negotiation methods.
CTTI hopes the findings from this initial research will spur further conversation on improving budget and contract processes in study start-up and motivate others to continue the search for sustainable solutions. Read the full report.