The global landscape for clinical research is rapidly evolving, with increasing competition between countries to attract and retain clinical trials. Within Europe, ongoing efforts toward harmonisation and collaboration further shape how countries position themselves in this landscape. While the Netherlands has traditionally been recognized for its high-quality research environment and strong early-phase infrastructure, questions arise regarding its current competitiveness in an international context.

This multistakeholder session will explore how the Netherlands is positioned within the global clinical research ecosystem. The session will start with an international perspective, benchmarking the Netherlands against other countries in terms of attractiveness, efficiency, and feasibility of conducting clinical studies.

This will be followed by three focused perspectives on the Dutch context: the role of early-phase clinical research, the organization of the regulatory and ethics review system, and the practical aspects of starting and conducting clinical studies, including challenges in study start-up and execution. The session will provide a comprehensive overview of current strengths, challenges, and opportunities.