2026 - VOL. 2

From the SCRS Team

Technology keeps taking on more of the work in clinical trials, but it hasn’t taken accountability off the site’s plate. When a vendor handoff doesn’t actually transfer ownership, when AI gets treated as a strategy instead of a tool, or when training gets documented without making staff genuinely prepared, the gap doesn’t disappear. It lands back on coordinators, who absorb it through extra calls, extra follow-up, and extra risk to retention and data quality.

The fix isn’t less technology or fewer partners, it’s building real accountability and relationships into how those tools and processes are designed. A handoff only works if someone owns the issue until the participant has an answer. AI only delivers if it’s paired with the trust and judgment sites have already built with patients and providers. This issue looks at where that accountability holds and where it breaks down. Inside: why vendor handoffs so often boomerang back to sites as unfinished work, how independent sites can turn relationship-building into a real recruitment advantage, what SCRS West revealed about the growing gap between site workload and site capacity, why treating AI as a stand-alone fix undersells the people doing the work, and why a training model that produces attestations instead of preparedness is an operational risk sponsors can’t afford to ignore.

Featured Posts

AI Isn’t a Stand-Alone Solution. Let’s Stop Treating It Like One.

The organizations that benefit most from AI won’t be the ones with the newest platforms or biggest tech budgets. They’ll be the ones who already did the hard work of connecting research to healthcare and building real trust with patients and communities.

Read on to see why the future of AI in clinical research depends less on the tools and more on the foundation you build before you use them.

Trained, but Not Prepared: The State of Clinical Research Site Training

That gap between “documented” and “prepared” isn’t a training failure. It’s an operational one, and it’s costing sponsors time, compliance, and site goodwill. This whitepaper breaks down why the training model most sponsors rely on can’t meet what ICH E6(R3) now expects, why legacy LMS platforms and CRO-delivered training can’t close the gap, and what a sponsor-owned approach looks like when it works. Read on for proof points from sponsors who’ve already made the switch.

How Better Research Site Support Improves Clinical Trial Delivery

More complexity. Same expectations. Less time for patients. That’s the reality facing research sites today, and it was front and center at SCRS West. This article breaks down what site leaders had to say about capacity, patient support, and what real operational relief actually looks like.

Beyond the Database: Building Relationships That Drive Patient Recruitment

The sites that recruit best aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest database or budget. They’re the ones that turn people, processes, and partnerships into a single working system. This article breaks down how to build that system, from cross-functional collaboration to long-term physician partnerships to using data without needing fancy tech. Learn how your site can turn independence into your biggest recruitment advantage.

Closed Ticket, Open Problem: How Vendor Handoffs Keep Becoming Site Work

Participants call the site when payments, travel, or support requests stall, even when another provider owns the answer. This article examines why vendor handoffs so often return to coordinators, what a usable handoff needs to transfer, and what sites should ask before enrollment begins.

SCRS Talks Podcast

Latest News from SCRS

Clinical Research Site Community Selects 2026 SCRS Eagle Award Finalists

September 3, 2026 – The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) today announced the finalists for the 2026 Eagle Award, the clinical research industry’s leading tool for evaluating and […]

A New Chapter in a Longstanding Partnership: SCRS Supports David Vulcano’s Transition to ACRP CEO

The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) congratulates David Vulcano on his appointment as CEO of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).  At the invitation of SCRS Founder Christine Pierre, David joined the SCRS Leadership Council in 2015 and has served as Honorary President since 2021.

2025 SCRS Eagle Awards Presented to Merck and Medpace

October 13, 2025 – The Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) proudly announces the 2025 recipients of the prestigious SCRS Eagle Award: Merck (known as MSD outside […]

About SCRS

Founded in 2012, SCRS is a global trade organization that unifies the voice of the clinical research site community to create greater site sustainability. Representing more than 11,000 sites in 50+ countries, SCRS membership provides sites with a community dedicated to advocacy, education, connectivity and mentorship. SCRS is an influential voice for sites and an active partner in industry-wide initiatives and dialogues focused on improving the clinical research enterprise. Our Voice. Our Community. Your Success.