From Vaccine Innovation Pathway to growth powerhouse: how the UK is transforming clinical trials
pharmafile | October 2, 2025 | Feature | Business Services, Market Access, Market Access Consultancy, Sales and Marketing |Â Â 10 Year Health Plan, Life Sciences Sector Plan, NHS, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Pharmacy, UK Vaccine Innovation PathwayÂ
Commercial clinical trials are a high-value growth driver for a country’s health and the economy and a key component of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan. But global competition to host international trials is fierce. Dr Maria Koufali, Life Sciences Industry Director for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), reveals how the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway’s success is evolving to provide a new pathway for commercial clinical trials, spearheaded by the NIHR, and why she knows we’re onto a winner.
Unlocking the full value of commercial clinical trials in the UK has required significant reform of our research system. The government has introduced several measures, with more on the horizon, and we are now seeing a shift. Perceptions are changing. The gloomy outlook on our ability to deliver trials at pace and scale is being displaced as new initiatives reverse this trend.
A pathfinding initiative
I have the privilege of leading one of these initiatives – the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway (UKVIP) – that was officially designated as the UK’s first clinical trial delivery accelerator. UKVIP initially focused on translating learning from the COVID-19 pandemic into insights to expedite cancer and infectious disease vaccine trials. We accelerated a range of trials, from early phase investigations of targeted treatments for head and neck cancer and non-small cell lung cancer to large-scale, pivotal trials of vaccines for seasonal influenza and norovirus.
Through UKVIP we demonstrated that the UK can cut trial set-up times to just 70 days – a benchmark far ahead of international comparators. Quicker set-up enables longer enrolment windows, which naturally optimises recruitment and helps to secure the UK’s leading position in global trials. Having proved the art of the possible, we are now applying the blueprint more widely.
Scalable acceleration
Remarkably, UKVIP successes did not require reinventing systems or designing processes specific to vaccine development. Instead, a number of scalable features emerged as being prerequisites to acceleration.
Dual clinical and system leadership of trials by clinical and operational experts, underpinned by a clear governance framework, with well-defined roles, responsibilities and escalation pathways, provides a firm foundation for faster set-up and delivery.
Early identification of potential issues, rapid decision-making and accountability are also key. National oversight with clear, site-level empowerment keeps sites motivated to achieve programme goals and mobilises end-to-end delivery. Meanwhile, world-class clinical leadership, which builds trusted relationships with healthcare provider R&D leaders, also keeps momentum high and blockers low.
Smarter, faster site selection, achieved by optimising existing UK-wide site identification systems with enhanced intelligence and operational criteria, embeds a ‘right research, right time, right place’ approach and ensures only best-fit sites are progressed.
Costing and contracting can also be completed in record time. Enhancing the UK’s standardised, national approach – National Contract Value Review – with simple ‘stage gate’ targets, tight project management and a 24-hour, single-step escalation pathway can resolve friction fast and eradicate delays. During a UKVIP pilot of a large phase 3 vaccine trial, 19 NHS sites all contracted within 19 days (median 11 days).
Once contracts are signed, parallel processing of start-up activities with agile governance ensures seamless site activation. In the same pilot, the first participant per site was recruited in just three days, on average.
Innovative, inclusive recruitment strategies are also essential, especially for large scale community-based studies. Some of our biggest gains were achieved when commercial sponsors were willing to draw upon the expertise of clinical and operational experts at an early stage of protocol and recruitment strategy development. The collective strength of national media campaigns, research registry and general practice outreach, mobile units and community-based research delivery teams significantly expands reach and retention.
Coordination is key
With all these capabilities, the UK is uniquely positioned to be the world leader in commercial clinical research. Our competitive advantages include a powerful combination of clinical excellence, system integration and population-level assets that few countries can match. But coordination is key and, having proved the concept through UKVIP, this autumn we are shifting gear to deliver wider benefits.
Learnings from UKVIP are now being applied to a larger pool of commercial trials through a new Industry Hub – a national, unified coordinating function, hosted by the NIHR and delivered through all four nations in the UK. The Hub will provide centralised programme management and oversight for efficient, optimised delivery of sponsor-prioritised commercial trials. This engine room, responsible for delivery performance, will support sites and investigators with mobilisation, capacity planning and recruitment maximisation.
The arrival of the Industry Hub sends a clear signal that the UK is serious about commercial clinical research. It offers a unified system with coherent ways of working and a single-entry point for sponsors, unlike multi-regional models in the US or Europe. It will demonstrate that the same efficiencies realised by UKVIP can be replicated on a larger scale, while encouraging further innovation. Iterating and evolving in this measured way instils a culture of continuous improvement while building a solid foundation to go even further and faster in future.
We are at a decisive moment. The UK has all the ingredients to reassert its global leadership in commercial research. But this will not happen by default – it requires bold action and a unified commitment to delivering tangible benefits for industry, the NHS and society. Our Industry Hub is the gateway to greater things. It is not just an operational service – it is a national asset.
This article featured in: October 2025 – The Pharmafile Brief
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