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Accelerated study start-up

From feasibility through site activation, speed and precision at every step

ICON’s award-winning tools, global team of experts, and advanced data analytics enhance site identification and patient recruitment, driving predictability and reliability in clinical trial delivery. Our comprehensive services will accelerate study start-up and ensure the timely achievement of key project milestones.

When ICON is responsible for both site identification and start up, studies are:

  • 24%

    more likely to hit the planned First Patient In

  • 21%

    more likely to hit the planned Last Patient In

Feasibility supported by data driven decisions-making

Feasibility assessment is critical to minimise the risk of costly delays and failures in clinical development. With a well-designed and executed feasibility assessment you can make more informed decisions to proceed with a clinical trial, make necessary adjustments to the trial design, or explore alternative strategies to ensure the study's success. The feasibility team uses a variety of data sources including: 

  • Clinical trial intelligence data
  • Internal and external performance metrics, such as enrolment, speed and quality
  • Medical informatics data, including access to ICD-10 claims data in the US from Symphony Health
  • Regulatory intelligence
  • Investigator outreach via interviews and feasibility questionnaires

The team can also create professional online surveys and interview scripts in collaboration with the therapeutic expert to collect investigator feedback on a protocol, study design, regional standard of care, critical site capabilities, patient availability, and enrolment estimates. 

Site identification

Working with our dedicated and therapeutically aligned site identification team of site identification leads and country-level site identification specialists, you have a functional leadership and a single point of contact during site identification. Together the team works with you to: 

  • Develop and finalise a site identification plan
  • Create a potential site list leveraging One Search
  • Oversee the distribution and collection of CDAs and questionnaires
  • Propose sites for pre-study site visits that are qualified by experience and training, to serve in the role of investigator for ICON projects

One Search

ICON’s site targeting strategy is supported by the industry leading One Search tool.

One Search leverages a proprietary AI-enabled data aggregation platform to combine all relevant site data available to ICON into one platform designed to evaluate and rank sites across multiple dimensions of suitability utilising machine learning. 

One Search produces a ranked list of institutions and investigators. ICON’s local country level teams apply country-specific intelligence and nuance, and account for country-level variance in medical practices. At this stage, any KOLs or key commercial sites, not already identified or perhaps excluded by ICON’s algorithm, can be added to the target site list.

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Accelerated site activation

Up to 35% faster site activation with data-driven strategies

Clinical trial sponsors face growing pressure to accelerate study timelines while managing costs. Site activation delays can lead to missed recruitment targets, extended timelines, and increased expenses. 

ICON’s accelerated site activation methodology helps pharma and biotech sponsors meet recruitment goals sooner, minimise delays, and access critical study data earlier. 

  • Faster site activation – Consistently reduce activation timelines by up to 35% for pharma and 28% for biotech 
  • Earlier patient recruitment – Begin enrolment sooner and achieve Last Patient In (LPI) milestones faster
  • Earlier data availability – Accelerate access to critical data, for faster decision-making
  • Lower financial risk – ICON funds start-up activities for additional sites until activation, to reduce disruptions

Study start-up

You can rely on our highly specialised and experienced study start-up teams to mitigate delay risks and navigate through complex regulatory environments. Our streamlined activation processes and procedures deliver many benefits, including: 

  • Reduced site selection time through the provision of specially designed databases and tools 
  • Greater efficiency in the contract negotiation process 
  • Study start-up planning capabilities and oversight to ensure milestone achievement
  • Critical Document Pack quality management system to track and identify root causes for quality issues. Our error rates are significantly lower than our industry peers, generally at 0.1%
  • A simplified operational model that minimises hand-offs and provides greater accountability for deliverables
  • Industry-leading technology to enable workflow and document collection 

By combining streamlined processes with industry-leading tools including One Search, ICON’s proprietary site selection system, you can save time and cost in your development programmes, with reduced cycle times in study start-up.

Tailored solutions for your needs

For large pharma sponsors

Accelerate your study start-up with our data-driven solutions. Leverage our advanced technology and global expertise to streamline your study start-up processes. Ensure timely site identification and patient recruitment for successful clinical trial outcomes.

For biotech sponsors

Optimise your trial processes and ensure data integrity, patient safety, and regulatory compliance with our tailored study start-up services. Our dedicated team is here to support your innovative biotech projects from start to finish.

Ready to transform your clinical trials?

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about how ICON can accelerate your study start-up and ensure successful clinical trial outcomes.

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