Rethinking Clinical Trial Site Selection: How Sponsors Can Overcome Barriers And Improve Efficiency

Selecting the right clinical trial site remains one of the most critical, and challenging, aspects of clinical research. Traditional site selection approaches, focused on prior experience and enrollment history, often fail to deliver results, contributing to widespread delays and under-enrollment. Emerging clinical trial site networks offer a smarter, more flexible solution.

By combining established trial-experienced sites with trial-naive community sites, pop-up locations, and home trial support, sponsors and CRO's can expand trial access, reach underrepresented populations, and accelerate study timelines. Site networks enable faster site activation, scalable operations, and improved patient recruitment by embedding trials directly in patient communities, including rural and underserved areas. MRN’s Site Network model exemplifies this shift, helping sponsors transform research-naive practices into research-ready sites through hands-on support, customized training, and tailored resources. These models reduce the startup burden on sponsors while maintaining data quality and patient engagement. Flexible site network approaches, such as hub-and-spoke models with pop-up sites and decentralized support, offer sponsors economies of scale, geographic diversity, and greater enrollment success. As demand for site networks continues to grow, they're becoming more widely recognized as a valuable asset for creating a more resilient, diverse, and efficient clinical trial ecosystem.