Regulatory changes, geopolitical pressures and technological advancements are among the factors currently driving new and evolving challenges within the clinical trial landscape.
The upcoming Outsourcing in Clinical Trials (OCT) Europe 2026 conference will offer a collaborative space for leaders in pharma and biotech to share knowledge and provide delegates with practical solutions for overcoming operational and outsourcing challenges in clinical trials.
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The conference will bring together industry professionals to discuss current difficulties faced by the industry in Barcelona, Spain from 6–7 May.
In addition to representatives from pharmaceutical companies such as GSK, Bayer, Sandoz and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, representative from CROs like Ergomed Clinical Research, Fortea, ICON and Parexel will also be presenting at the conference.
What is on the agenda?
The OCT Europe 2026 conference programme is divided into three streams. Stream A will cover outsourcing and clinical operations; Stream B will cover artificial intelligence (AI), innovation and technology and Stream C will focus on biotech strategy.
Day one will open with a keynote speech from Ken Getz, executive director and research professor (PHCM) at the Boston, Massachusetts-based Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development on complexities and inefficiencies in clinical trials. He will speak about the opportunities to enhance protocol design and improve clinical trial performance and present case studies of such strategies.
Later in the day, a panel in Stream C moderated by Kate Dokukina, head of clinical trials at the Dover, Delaware-based Eilean Therapeutics will discuss the strategic outlook for 2026 across the biotech landscape in Europe. Panellists will address current market dynamics and funding trends; ongoing talent shortages and evolving workforce strategies; shifts in regional funding and investment and the impact of the geopolitical landscape in Europe.
On day two, Stream B will commence with a keynote speech from Dr Fabian Kreimendahl, associate director in medical evidence biostatistics at Johnson & Johnson Innovation Medicine on clinical trials in the age of AI. The session will explore how AI is shaping the future of clinical trials and offer practical AI applications to overcome bottlenecks and accelerate recruitment, while ensuring ethical implementation.
Meanwhile, Stream A will open with a session on the governance of CROs. Here, Eva Torres, alliance managing director at AstraZeneca will illustrate why the oversight of CROs needs to evolve to align risk integration across the organisation and accelerate processes.
To conclude the conference, delegates will have the option of attending a workshop for training teams to respond to inspection findings, which integrates AI, run by Maxim Bunimovich, GCP auditor and trainer, as well as co-Founder and CEO of THE QARP, or participate in roundtables discussing the latest trends in the clinical trial landscape.
A detailed agenda for 16th Annual Outsourcing in Clinical Trials Europe 2026 conference can be accessed here.
The conference is hosted by Arena International Events Group, a B2B events company owned by GlobalData, the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena and Pharmaceutical Technology.
