Clinical Research Roundtables
Supporting the UAE's ambition to become a leading destination for clinical trials — one focused theme at a time.
What is the Clinical Research Roundtable?
The UAE Clinical Research Roundtables bring senior decision-makers together four times a year to advance the country's clinical research ecosystem — one focused theme at a time.
Curated
Invite-only, private working-session dinners with senior leaders across the ecosystem.
Thematic
Each roundtable focuses on a single strategic theme with two to three actionable discussion topics.
Cumulative
Outputs feed a national platform and culminate in an annual flagship event in December 2026.
The 08+ stakeholder groups we convene.
Each roundtable is curated to bring senior voices from across the ecosystem into the same conversation — not just one slice of it.
Invitees participate in their personal and expert capacity — not as institutional representatives, unless explicitly mandated to.
- 01RegulatorsEDE, DoH, DHA, MoHAP
- 02Hospitals & health systemsPublic and private
- 03AcademiaUniversities & research centres
- 04Industry sponsorsPharma & biotech
- 05CROs & service providersOperational backbone
- 06InvestorsVC, sovereign, corporate
- 07Government & policyNational & emirate-level
- 08Patient associationsAdvocacy & community voice
A clear model — independent by design.
CRR is a collaborative industry engagement initiative. The core team and invitees receive no compensation from it. Sponsor funds cover the logistics of the specific roundtable they underwrite.
- 01Topic first
The core team identifies a topic in the UAE clinical research ecosystem worth convening around.
- 02Aligned sponsor
A sponsor whose remit aligns with that topic is invited to underwrite the roundtable's logistics.
- 03Agenda by the core team
The core team drafts the agenda. Sponsor input is welcome but the core team owns it.
- 04Invited contributors
Contributors speak for themselves, not their institutions — unless explicitly mandated to.
Why this matters — and why now.
The UAE has world-class hospitals, an ambitious life-sciences agenda, and regulators actively modernising. But there's still work to do to connect the ecosystem, attract sponsors and champion clinical research in the UAE.
- Regulatory momentum
- UAE regulators are actively signalling openness to faster, more modern approval pathways. The window to help shape that framework is now.
- Hospital readiness
- Major UAE centres are building world-class research capacity — and shaping what 'trial-ready' looks like for the region.
- Sponsor demand
- Global sponsors are actively seeking Middle East data and more diverse trial populations — the UAE is positioned to deliver both.
- Strategic alignment
- From UAE Vision 2031 to the national innovation and life-sciences agenda, the country's strategy, capital and infrastructure are pulling in one direction: clinical research as a national priority.
The 2026 programme at a glance.
Four roundtables. One annual event. A national platform.
The UAE Clinical Research Event.
An in-person evening dinner bringing together participants from the year's roundtables, alongside the wider ecosystem, to consolidate key findings and shape the 2027 agenda.
Public release of the 2026 findings and the national platform.
Regulators, hospitals, sponsors and investors in one room.
Public commitments and the published 2027 thematic roadmap.