Strategic CRO Selection & Vendor Partnerships: Real-World Approaches for Emerging Biopharma

Learn practical strategies and insights from experts on how to outsource clinical trials and choose CROs, aimed at helping clinical operations leaders improve study execution and strengthen relationships with vendors.

SpeakersNara Daubany – CEO & Co-Founder, Phaim PharmaGraeme Duncan – Head of Clinical Development, NeurocentrixClaire Herholdt – VP Clinical Operations, LeviceptBradley Norton – VP Clinical Operations, Gylden PharmaSarah Whalley – Director Clinical Operations, Uploid BiotechnologiesDeirdre Flaherty – VP Product Strategy & Clinical Operations, Alchemab TherapeuticsJulia Vassiliadou – VP Clinical Operations, F2G

Episode OverviewRecorded live at COG UK, this panel brings together senior clinical operations leaders from emerging biopharma and specialty biotech companies to share their operational realities, decision frameworks, and lessons learned in clinical trial outsourcing and CRO selection.

Panelists reveal how small, lean teams evaluate CRO fit beyond price, integrating clinical operations best practices to ensure continuity, ownership, and transparency throughout the study lifecycle. The discussion examines differences in working with small- and mid-sized CROs versus the Big Five providers, including non-negotiables in vendor selection and the impact of global studies on CRO partnership decisions.

Key questions addressed include:

How do sponsors prioritize CRO selection criteria beyond cost?What practical signals indicate a CRO’s operational capacity, therapeutic expertise, and partnership mindset?How do sponsors manage global clinical outsourcing, regional complexity, and adapt outsourcing models for rare disease, vaccines, or novel therapeutic areas?

The session offers a real-world look at study startup, site activation, patient recruitment, and the evolving landscape of sponsor, vendor collaboration, all with a focus on clinical study optimization and actionable takeaways for operations, outsourcing, and stakeholder teams.

Key Moments00:01:49 – Defining the scope: clinical trial outsourcing, vendor fit, and operational efficiency

00:09:18 – Key decision levers for study location and CRO selection, balancing funding, patient access, and regulatory challenges

00:12:18 – Sponsor “killer questions” for CROs: assessing experience, partnership, and project de-risking

00:13:29 – Site selection frameworks: the role of specialty CROs in pain and OA studies, evidence-based site/country choice

00:14:43 – Global partnerships for vaccine trials: ali