To many, the SCOPE Summit is the year’s “newsroom,” setting the stage for what hot topics and driving forces will dominate the coming year.
With this year’s conference winding down, we’re once again offering a glimpse into the evolving operational and technological conversations shaping the future of trials with our recap below.
AI everywhere, but with a purpose
If there is one theme dominating conversation here, it is artificial intelligence. This year, the mood shifted past its hype phase, into being soon as a tool that’s visibly reshaping workflows across the clinical development lifecycle. From exhibitor demos to keynote sessions, companies are showcasing meaningful applications.
Tools like SDC Insights 2.0 with SDC Sidekick AI are being highlighted on the Innovation Stage for AI-driven clinical oversight, with booths inviting attendees to vote these technologies into Best of Show awards. Sessions focused on agentic AI and data-driven acceleration of clinical trials are drawing standing-room-only crowds.
Among the most talked about innovations at the Summit is the Medable PI Summary Agent. Medable introduced this agentic AI capability just before the Summit to reduce site burden by assisting principal investigators in oversight and monitoring of electronic clinical outcome assessment data. The agent continuously monitors participant data, generates AI summaries for investigators, and flags the most critical data points while keeping full access to source data with “human in the loop” control. This is designed to streamline oversight of participant reported outcomes and help sponsors and sites review key inputs proactively.
Across conversations, even among sponsor and CRO leadership, the focus today is no longer whether AI will affect clinical trials. The question is how and how fast. Compared with past years, there is tangible momentum moving from prototype to production.
Digital protocols and trial optimization are accelerating
Another major signal from Scope 2026 was the continued maturation of digital protocols. The CDISC USDM standard is more robust than ever, and large pharmaceutical companies are increasingly rolling digital protocol initiatives into broader trial optimization strategies.
What is changing is not just the format of protocols, but the function. Both pharma and vendors are building tools that fundamentally reshape upstream clinical development work, with implications for medical writing, feasibility, and operational planning. Clinical operations teams are paying close attention, particularly when a digital protocol can drive downstream system setup and execution more efficiently.
This focus on digital design frameworks, often grouped under the banner of digital design and feasibility, is beginning to redefine how trials are planned end to end.
Regulatory uncertainty shapes every conversation
Optimism at SCOPE 2026 is tempered by a clear undercurrent of concern around regulatory uncertainty. Shifting timelines, staffing limitations, and evolving expectations are forcing sponsors to rethink development strategies and build more contingency planning into trial design.
That uncertainty is not theoretical. Attendees repeatedly reference its impact on trial timelines, investment decisions, and technology deployment. Regulatory readiness has become a defining factor in how innovation is evaluated and implemented across clinical programs.
Sites have a stronger presence and a louder voice
One of the most encouraging shifts at Scope Summit 2026 was the noticeable increase in site attendance. Site professionals were present not only as attendees but as active contributors to sessions and discussions.
This increased visibility matters. With more site voices in the room, there was greater focus on solving real, operational problems faced by research sites. Exhibitors and session leaders alike are increasingly targeting site burden, workflow efficiency, and sustainability, rather than adding more tools that complicate daily operations.
The presence of sites helped ground many conversations in reality and reinforced the importance of designing trials that work at the point of execution.
Patient recruitment is shifting toward platform-based models
Patient recruitment remains a critical challenge, but the approach is evolving. At Scope 2026, there was a noticeable shift away from purely services-led digital marketing models toward software-driven referral and pre-screening management.
Sponsors are increasingly procuring patient recruitment platforms to build infrastructure that centralizes referral management, supports faster protocol changes, and enables more data-driven campaign optimization. This reflects a move toward treating recruitment as a core operational capability rather than a one-off service engagement.
The emphasis is on speed, adaptability, and transparency, especially as protocols continue to evolve mid-study.
Investor interest is rising alongside momentum
Another unmistakable presence at Scope Summit 2026 was investors. The clinical technology market is heating up, with that energy being felt across the show floor.
New capital, acquisitions, partnerships, and deal making were frequent topics of conversation. Clinical operations emerged as a major theme earlier this year at the JPM Healthcare Conference, and investors are now diving deeper into the operational details at Scope.
This increased attention brings opportunity, but also scrutiny. Vendors and sponsors alike are being asked to demonstrate real outcomes, not just compelling narratives.
A more optimistic industry mood
Perhaps the most subtle but important takeaway from Scope Summit 2026 was the overall mood. Compared with last year, more people appeared energized and optimistic.
While no one suggested that stability is guaranteed, there was a sense that budgets are unlocking, hiring is resuming, and teams are looking forward rather than bracing for contraction. That shift in sentiment matters, particularly in an industry where long timelines and high uncertainty are the norm.
