Author: Elena Filimonova, Chief Marketing Officer
Snapshot
- AI shifts from promise to proof in clinical trials: Sponsors are prioritizing practical applications that improve workflows while keeping human judgment central to patient safety.
- Better AI depends on better data foundations: Sponsors are consolidating clinical and financial data to enable insight and smarter decision-making across studies.
- Patient and site experience becomes a competitive advantage: Usability and real-world fit increasingly influence recruitment, retention, and trial participation.
- True platforms outperform point solutions when integration is real: Sponsors are scrutinizing whether platforms truly work together at scale, not just in name.
- Uncertainty becomes the new operating environment: Sponsors and partners are moving forward with agility, adapting in real time while maintaining quality and compliance.
Every year, I ask a small group of Suvoda leaders to step back from day-to-day execution and talk candidly about what they are seeing in the clinical trial technology landscape: what’s changing, what's accelerating, and what still feels uncertain.
For this year’s outlook, I sat down with Jean-Marie Aulnette, Executive Vice President Global Sales, Erica Jonas, Vice President, Services Delivery, Andrew McVeigh, Chief Architect, and Elizabeth Morris, Director of Product Management. Together, they represent commercial, services, and product leadership across our company. What follows are five projections for 2026, informed by their collective professional experience of more than 80 years.
Projection #1: AI moves from promise to proof
Artificial intelligence was everywhere in 2025, but in 2026 the industry is starting to draw a clearer line between hype and impact.
Andrew described AI as nothing short of transformational. “It’s starting to look like a major force in computing in general,” he said. “Over the next few years, it will change how entire systems get built.” At the same time, he was candid about the challenge: “The biggest problems right now are variability and hallucinations. In healthcare, that matters.”
Jean-Marie sees the same tension in the market. “Last year, AI was the big word,” he said. “But now people are asking, ‘show me the proof.’ A lot of technology vendors talk about AI, but what matters is who can demonstrate real impact in an industry with no room for error.”
Elizabeth grounded the discussion on what clinical research specifically requires. “One of the most important things will be knowing when to keep a human in the loop,” she said. “AI gives you speed, but you still need human nuance for accuracy, reliability, and ethical outcomes.” Erica added the reality from sites and clinicians, sharing, “They may not care how the technology is built. They just want to know that it works properly and safely for patients.”
Our customers want speed, but they also know we’re working with patients’ lives. Unlike many other industries, in clinical trials we still need human judgment to make sure the right drug reaches the right patient at the right time. The consensus was clear. In 2026, AI will matter most where it quietly makes experienced people better at their jobs, but never at the expense of accuracy and patient safety.
Projection #2: Better AI starts with better data
If AI is the engine, data is the fuel, and clinical trial sponsors are becoming more intentional about owning and using it.
“All large pharma companies that were focused previously on data lakes are now focused on AI,” Jean-Marie explained. “That means they are asking suppliers for their data. They want everything in one place so they can harness it.”
Andrew sees the same shift. “People will want direct access to that data so they can train their models on it,” he said. “That’s why consolidating clinical and financial data is so powerful.”
Erica pointed out how this is already showing up in customer conversations. “We’re seeing more requests for ‘everything across all of our studies,’” she said. “They want to see trends and understand what’s really happening.”
But Elizabeth offered an important caution. Data creates value when you know what you are hoping to learn or achieve. And, systems built on data must actually work together. “You can design a beautiful app for example,” she said, “but if the systems behind the scenes aren’t integrated, you can’t deliver a unified experience.”
Projection #3: Patient and site experience will be a competitive differentiator
Patient centricity is not new, but the way it is being applied is evolving. “The aperture is expanding,” Elizabeth said. “We’re looking at how to meet real-world patient needs that we are hearing from actual users. Motivational messages, different kinds of incentives, perhaps even delivering meals to patients on difficult treatment days. It’s about fitting trials into people’s lives in a way we haven’t seen before.”
Jean-Marie connected that directly to recruitment and retention. “There is more competition for patients,” he said. “Sometimes sponsors are targeting the same potential patient populations. If your technology and experience don’t fit their lives, you may miss the opportunity to have them participate in your trial.”
Erica added that patients feel the gap between consumer apps that they use every day and the clinical trial technology they are required to use during a trial. “They may tolerate clunky systems because they don’t have a choice,” she said. “But they aren't happy about it.”
For Suvoda, patient centricity means designing technology that fits into real lives without compromising the rigor clinical research demands. By focusing on usability and reliability at every touchpoint, we aim to support better experiences for patients and sites while helping sponsors keep their patients enrolled in their trials.
Projection #4: Clinical trial software platforms win over point solutions, but only if they truly work
As clinical trials become more complex, the need to streamline operations grows. That has driven both sponsors and vendors toward a software platform approach. But our leaders are seeing that people can mean different things when they say they have a “platform.”
“My read is that customers understand the value of platforms,” Elizabeth said, “but they’re jaded about whether vendors can deliver true integration. Too many vendors just rebrand separate systems.”
Andrew sees enormous potential when integration is real. “When you combine clinical and financial data, it becomes a powerful advantage if you do it properly.”
Jean-Marie was even more direct. “Everyone says they have a platform, but what they have is a set of loosely connected tools,” he said. “Sponsors should really look closely to see how a platform performs, how easy it is to implement, and how the site user experiences it.”
And Erica added a dose of market reality. “Creating a truly unified platform that operates at scale, across many studies, while still delivering market-leading point solutions within the platform that all work together in sync is the key. And I think Suvoda does that.”
Projection #5: Uncertainty will become the operating environment, not a temporary phase
Finally, the group discussed how uncertainty and global shifts in policy, trade questions, and regional conflicts are reshaping where and how trials are run. Uncertainty appears to no longer be a temporary phase—it's the operating environment.
Elizabeth described how organizations are adapting. “People and organizations aren’t ever fully comfortable with uncertainty, but they also realize they have to keep operating,” she said. “I believe they’re finding a new normal.”
Jean-Marie noted that while some trials paused in 2025, the need to advance science has not slowed. “Companies will need to restart at some stage,” he said. “As vendors, we need to be ready and agile as pharma navigates uncertainty.”
Global dynamics are also part of that equation. “China is now one of the largest clinical trial markets, particularly in oncology,” Jean-Marie said. “Sponsors are following the patients and the science.” Andrew noted that these shifts also bring added complexity, from data residency to regulatory requirements that influence how platforms must be designed.
Looking ahead
What stood out most to me in this conversation is that none of these trends exist in isolation. AI depends on solid data. Data depends on integration. Integration enables better patient and site experiences. All of it unfolds against a backdrop of global, economic, and regulatory change.
As we head into 2026, the industry is not looking for louder promises. It is looking for technology that quietly, reliably, and safely makes clinical research work better for sponsors, sites, and, most importantly, patients.
Authors
Elena Filimonova
Chief Marketing Officer, Suvoda
Andrew McVeigh
Chief Architect, Suvoda
Jean-Marie Aulnette
Executive Vice President Global Sales, Suvoda
Erica Jonas
Vice President, Services Delivery, Suvoda
Elizabeth Morris
Director of Product Management, Suvoda