Driving Site Activation: How Sponsors Can Enable Research-Naïve Clinical Trial Sites

By Erik Moen

Clinical trial capacity in the U.S. is heavily concentrated, with nearly 63% of ongoing trials taking place at just 10 sites. This overreliance on a small pool of overburdened sites drives delays, increases costs, and limits patient access. Many research-naïve sites are willing to participate but are excluded by traditional site selection criteria that emphasize prior experience and historical performance. Sponsors can expand site networks by assessing factors such as patient diversity, population access for multiple therapeutic areas, retention rates, and readiness for innovative trial models, as well as leveraging clinical data registries to identify untapped potential.

Technology plays a critical role in enabling this shift. Site burden from sponsor-mandated systems is high, with staff often duplicating data entry across numerous platforms. Sponsors can ease adoption by accepting existing site technologies, offering continuous training to address high turnover, and deploying “Trial in a Box” solutions that bundle tools, training, and remote monitoring. AI-enabled platforms further reduce the burden by improving data validation and monitoring. Learn more about how combining smarter site selection, technology integration, and collaborative recruitment strategies can expand the research site ecosystem, improve efficiency, and accelerate trial delivery.