Bringing European Sites, Sponsors, and CROs Together to Drive Solutions

Claire Sears of EMS Healthcare and Almenia Garvey of Allucent join us to discuss what makes the European Site Solutions Summit truly unique. As the newly appointed co-chairs, they share what excites them most about leading this site-centric event and why bringing sites, sponsors, and CROs together in one room drives real solutions. From AI implementation and ICH E6(R3) to contract negotiations and site resilience, discover the pressing challenges European sites face and how the summit's agenda equips attendees with practical takeaways they can implement immediately. If you've been wondering whether this investment is worth your time, hear directly from two industry leaders about the unfettered access, solution-focused sessions, and networking opportunities that set this conference apart. Join us March 2-3, 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Transcript

Lauren Stockwell 0:00

Hello and welcome to SCRS Talks provided by the Society for Clinical Research Sites. I am so excited to be joined here today with Claire Sears of EMS Healthcare and Almenia Garvey of Allucent. Both of these individuals have joined us. To become leaders within our European Site Solutions Summit Committee. They're the brand new co-chairs of this particular summit. So I would love for each of them to introduce themselves and, and I answer the question. You've both taken on this incredible role of committee chair for the European Site Solutions Summit. What excites you most about leading this event and what do you hope to achieve this year? March 2nd through third in Amsterdam, Netherlands. So we'll start things off. How about Claire? Why don't you kick us off?

Claire Sears 0:47

Sure. Yes. Very happy to be here. Claire Sears and I am head of, business optimization at EMS Healthcare, based in the uk. I've been involved with SCRS and have had the privilege to be on the committee for a number of years for Europe. both in my roles in clinical trial technology, then at A CRO and now representing a clinical research site. The Opportunity to take a leadership role has been extremely exciting and a great privilege, to have the opportunity to continue the great work of past chairs of Vivienne Van Der Walle and Pitor Sawicki, highlighting what's great about Europe, what our challenges are. And, you know, what are the massive opportunities we have as a clinical research community to really move things forwards. And I think that's what's really exciting about this year and the summit coming up in Amsterdam,

Almenia Garvey 1:37

Hi. I am Amedia Garvey. I'm the Senior Director of Global Feasibility Site and patient engagement at Allucent a mid-size CRO. I am super excited about being a part of this, committee. I've been on the committee for a number of years, like Claire. being co-chair really, helps us. focus on expanding the number of sites and the number of geographical regions that are attending the summit. The summit is, so good for sites, so informative. I've been working with sites for the last 20 years, and I find that this conference is the best conference for sites to really talk to other sites, understand what's really going on in the industry. So, really looking forward to seeing the sites, the CROs and the sponsors in March and Amsterdam.

Lauren Stockwell 2:21

Awesome. Thank you. And we're so grateful to have both of you leading the charge inside of this particular summit. You've been doing an excellent job thus far and we're excited to watch it all come together here in just a few months. as Edia had noted, this is really one of the, the more uniques. Style conversations and, and summits that exist within this landscape that is really, truly fully dedicated to clinical research sites and their success. What makes the site centric focus so critical in this very particular moment in the clinical research landscape? how does bringing sites, sponsors, and CRO's together drive solutions that could actually work in the future? Almenia, you briefly touched on it. Do you wanna take it first?

Almenia Garvey 3:03

Yeah, I would love to take it first. Thank you. The sites are at the heart of what we do in clinical research. I mean, it's site focuses where we start. So this conference dedicated to sites, it's really important because it. Puts the sites where they belong in the spotlight, and the CROs and the sponsors are there to support the sites and what they need to be successful and to support our patients, which is also extremely important. the EU SCRS conference really kind of helps because you're talking about sites across different geographical regions, different languages, different healthcare. So it really is helpful to talk to how to navigate and, negotiate through the site landscape.

Claire Sears 3:45

I think to sort of build on that from Almenia about putting sites in the spotlight, I think what's really good about the summit and the focus on clinical research sites at the moment is that there's a more macro level, you know, research within Europe is under a lot of pressure from other markets, you know, in the US and in China. I think we have a lot of responsibilities and opportunities. to bring the European region to the fore to be clear about what we can offer, to talk about regional collaboration across Europe. But as Almenia highlights those country specific strengths and differences, we have a lot of diversity within the population within Europe that we can highlight. and to talk to sponsors and CROs about the great strides that are being made in. Regulatory simplification in technology transformation. And I think, as Almenia said, sites are in the central spotlight, which is fantastic. But it also gives a chance to lift your head up from the day-to-day of delivering clinical research studies to actually think about the market, think about collaboration, and think about how we collectively move things forward.

Lauren Stockwell 4:53

Yeah, absolutely. And I appreciate that so very much.'cause sometimes we get so deep into the weeds of our day-to-day and, it just takes that one second to step back and realize what the grander picture is of what we're doing here. and that's really how we work with the entire committee as a whole, not just you two, but the entire committee to build out that really robust agenda. So looking at that agenda that you all work so incredibly hard to build out with. Topics that range from, you know, I-C-H-G-C-P-E six R three, implementation to contract negotiations and study startup delays. What are the top that you would say, two to three most pressing challenges that you hear from sites across Europe? And how will these sessions equip attendees to walk away with solutions they can take back to their organizations?

Almenia Garvey 5:42

So there were several, interesting topics. I think that a lot of our sites are really trying to figure out, how to use ai. How does the AI affect them, what they can do to improve, their resources, improve the standard of, care that they're giving using ai. In addition to that, operationalizing. E six, R three. I mean, I think that's extremely important and people are still trying to ensure that they're using the guidance that's in this guidance in their sites. I think contracts and budgets are an important, topic and an important subject. Sites viability is extremely important. The sites love listening to the landscapes as well. And then third, I think is the study startup. We are always talking about the study startup, the speed of study startup. We're talking about the hidden costs, workshops that are done, which are very important. I think the biggest thing is the networking. in addition to. The networking breaks. there's breakfast and lunch where you can constantly network. There's the site reception, times that you can talk to and meet with, not only other sites, which is extremely important, but also the sponsors and the CROs as well.

Claire Sears 6:51

Yeah. I mean that is absolutely the best part about the SCRS Europe summit. it's that access, isn't it? Almenia, that access to sites, you know, for sites to sponsors and CROs, as an attendee you will. See a lot of EU focused site engagement teams from CROs and sponsors, whose job it is to engage with sites and support them in getting clinical trials started. In terms of the agenda, like Almenia said, we've all facing budget challenges, you know, in getting contracts through. So I think things like the hidden costs workshop are so valuable. It's really grounded in practical tips for sites. to really move things forward, move with some speed and with confidence as to, what you can negotiate and what you can't. And then I think to echo what Almenia said, AI implementation, you asked Lauren about what we're pressing concerns. It might not be a today pressing concern for sites, but it will be by the end of the year. So the earlier I think people can understand exactly what is possible with AI for clinical research. What are the guardrails? What are things to look out for? The, the better really. and I think the conference has sessions both on a higher view of AI implementation in clinical research, but then also the practical, what does it mean for your daily site operations? And I think that will be super valuable alongside, cybersecurity was the other session I picked out as a key one.

Almenia Garvey 8:20

I would add, patient, recruitment and patient engagement.'cause of course I'm being that in my wheelhouse, but also so vitally important to everything that we do in clinical research as well.

Lauren Stockwell 8:32

Yeah, absolutely. at the center of everything that we do, I feel this at almost all of our conversations and all of our conferences, is that the patient is always the hyper fixation, if you will. and we have an entire plenary session, main stage session that is dedicated to that patient voice to really ensure that that. Is woven in to the entire agenda I always call that the heartbeat of each of our summits.'cause I think that's so important that we bring it in and to Claire's point, technology is here to stay. Technology is here to continue to grow and understanding how to implement and utilize these different tools that exist out there. And also how to select what tools to utilize is going to be important for these clinical research sites, especially in the next few years as it continues to develop. So, that's a big part of this 2026 agenda. For someone who's never attended before or is deciding whether this investment in time and resources is critical for their organization, what should they expect from these two days in Amsterdam? Obviously, you all have been longstanding, both attendees and committee members of this particular summit. What, what's different from this conference, from other conferences inside the space? Why is it worth their time for these site zeros and sponsors working in Europe? So why don't we start with Almenia from the CRO sponsor type perspective, and then and head to, to the site perspective from Claire.

Almenia Garvey 9:52

Well, I think the very first thing is that the sites have, unfettered access to people like me at the sponsors in this year that our job is dedicated to supporting sites. So these are the right conversations to have with the right people at the organizations that they, are interested in working with. Do you know how sometimes you have a question and you're afraid to ask it out loud? There is someone in that room that will ask that question. They will ask it out loud so you can, learn a lot from just listening to other people. their questions, their concerns. That's their solutions, but. Best thing about the Site Solution Summit is the solutions that everyone walks away with, the tips, things that they can go into their office the very next day and start to implement at their site. So the access to other sites, the access to the CROs and the pharmaceutical companies and the access to information, I think really sets this, summit apart.

Claire Sears 10:48

Yeah, I mean, I totally agree that access is a key thing. I don't know of any other conferences where you get on an equal footing all the stakeholders together. Mm-hmm. The sites, the CROs, and the sponsors. as Almenia said, it is very solution, focused. a real demonstration of the commitment from some of our sponsors to SCRS EU Site Solutions Summits is, the fact that we have site partnerships symposium run by Takeda. You know, which is a dedicated session. And having attended similar sessions at the Global Summit, late last year, that was incredibly valuable. You know what it felt like a true partnership discussion. What are the sponsors doing? What can sites bring to the table? and sharing of challenges and opportunities. So I think. That's a real value. Also you pack a huge amount into the time, it's intense. It's fun. You will enjoy it. Like Almenia says, sites or site sponsors and CROs will all learn something, from that summit and, feel part of the community as well, which I think is a unique part of the conference as well.

Almenia Garvey 11:57

I would just like to say, and I think Claire, will agree with me on this, if a news site is listening to this podcast and coming to the summit, please feel free to reach out and, introduce yourself. We'd love to talk to you.

Claire Sears 12:09

Yeah, definitely happy to share our experiences and I think, Almenia said at the start, we really want to expand access. You know, we've had the benefit of attending this summit over many years. have been to numerous conferences, enjoyed them all in different locations. We're in a new location this time, which is exciting. but yeah, if there are new sites that are wondering what it's all about, we're, happy to chat.

Lauren Stockwell 12:33

So, just to kind of wrap up this discussion Looking further at that agenda you talked about, ICHR three implementation. We talked about budgets, we talked about hidden costs, we talked about startup, all these other things. Give me two topics that you're super excited to, to go in and listen and be a part of that engaging session.

Almenia Garvey 12:55

Well, I'm super, excited about the topic that, I will be facilitating, which is KPIs that drive site selection and success. I think this is extremely important, topic and you really looks at those key performance factors that we look at for selecting sites and the ones that, you know, for sites that may not understand. So we're really looking forward to just peeling back the layer of this session and really engaging and discussing, KPIs and site selection. Success.

Claire Sears 13:23

And, you know, another key area that is super important is site resilience. You know, we've talked about it being a challenging environment for clinical research sites. So the session that I'm fortunate enough to be involved with is about how sites can look to the future. Build their capabilities, forecast better, and be able to withstand some of the vagaries of being in the clinical research, industry about when studies get canceled, when timelines get pushed. and you know, we ran a similar session, the Global Summit last year and it was really practical. Some really good tips from, experienced sites about how they do this. and a lot of learnings for other sites to take away. So I think that that session should be really good fun.

Lauren Stockwell 14:08

Two Incredible topics led by two incredible leaders in those spaces, and we're excited to continue to drive those conversations forward along with other conversations. Feel free to go and explore the agenda on the Summit website, to learn more about all the other incredible leaders on these different topics and also the topics themselves. Well, thank you both so very much again for your time and dedication to this particular summit. And if you're listening today, please consider joining us March 2nd and third in Amsterdam, Netherlands for the European Site Solutions Summit. We are excited to bring sites, CROs, sponsors, service providers. All to the same exact table to discuss the pressing topics in the European landscape. Please join us at myscrs.org to learn more information