New research finds almost three quarters of UK adults believe they understand clinical trials, yet many misunderstand how they work. Now, Innovative Trials - a leading clinical trial patient engagement, recruitment and retention company - has launched a new global public education initiative called the Innovative Trials Academy to promote greater public awareness of clinical trials, challenge myths and misinformation, and promote greater confidence in the clinical research process
HERTFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom and RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Innovative Trials, a leading global provider of clinical trial patient engagement, recruitment and retention solutions, has launched a new global public education initiative after new research revealed a significant gap between people's confidence in their understanding of clinical trials and their actual knowledge of how they work.
The Innovative Trials Academy, which carries the message "Educate First, Recruit Second" and "Protecting the Future of Clinical Research" will equip clinical research professionals with presentation materials, tools and support to take clinical research education directly into their local communities. The initiative follows a survey of 4,000 people aged 16 and over across the UK and US, which found that 73% of UK adults believe they have a good understanding of clinical trials. However, among those respondents, 43% believe people get paid to take part in a clinical trial, 27% believe only one clinical trial is needed for each potential new treatment, and 60% do not know that participants can leave a trial at any time. All three beliefs are false: in the UK, payment is rare, every new medicine goes through several phases of trials, and anyone can leave a trial at any time without giving a reason.
Eloise Moffett, Vice President of Commercial for Innovative Trials, said: "The pharmaceutical industry talks extensively about drug development and clinical trials, but we are not necessarily having those conversations with the people who need to hear them. We want to take clinical research out of the industry and into communities, creating a generation of people who understand what clinical trials are before they are ever asked to participate in one. It's also about who will run the trials of tomorrow. If young people never hear about clinical research, they won't consider a career in it, and our industry needs its future scientists, nurses and research leaders just as much as it needs its future participants. That's what protecting the future of clinical research really means."
The research also highlights the need to start those conversations earlier. Three quarters (75%) of UK respondents say they were never taught about clinical research at school, while people aged 16-34 are the strongest supporters of making clinical research part of the school curriculum. In the US, one in four adults (25%) report having little to no understanding of clinical trials. Concerns about participation are also widespread, with 40% of UK respondents and 37% of US respondents saying not knowing what will happen during a study is a major concern.
Through the Innovative Trials Academy, clinical research professionals will be supported to deliver educational presentations in schools, colleges and universities, career fairs, community groups, youth organisations, health awareness events, local businesses and public forums. The presentations are designed to educate, not recruit, giving audiences an opportunity to learn how clinical trials work, ask questions and challenge common misconceptions.
The Academy will also help clinical research professionals share their own experiences and career journeys, helping to make an often complex and unfamiliar industry more accessible while inspiring the next generation of clinical research professionals. Innovative Trials believes that greater public understanding can help challenge misconceptions, increase awareness of patient rights and safety, build confidence in research and create more informed future participants.
By bringing clinical research conversations into communities before people are faced with the decision of whether to participate, the Academy aims to help make clinical trials more accessible and understandable, while encouraging greater awareness of the role research plays in developing new medicines and improving healthcare.
Notes to editors
About the Innovative Trials Academy
The Innovative Trials Academy is a global public education programme designed and facilitated by Innovative Trials. The Academy's mission is to educate the world about clinical research by meeting people where they live, learn and gather.
The Academy has three connected programmes - the Public Education Programme, the Sponsor Education Programme and ITA Education Partners.
- The Public Education Programme is a community-driven initiative where anyone working in clinical research, in any role, can volunteer their time. From Clinical Research Associates (CRAs), study coordinators and Principal Investigators to site, sponsor, CRO and vendor teams, volunteers deliver honest, accessible talks in schools, universities, scout groups and workplaces. The Innovative Trials Academy will provide the toolkits, the presentation decks and the resources, and all content will be non-promotional to ensure its credibility.
- The Sponsor Education Programme involves pharmaceutical companies and other trial sponsors funding public education events in places people already go, such as health fairs, shopping centres, university open days and cultural festivals. The Academy will provide trained Academy Educators around the world to deliver these sessions in those locations.
- The ITA Education Partners is an initiative where pharmaceutical companies and other organisations in the clinical research space can make a longer-term investment in the Academy, which will contribute towards the ongoing success of the Public Education Programme, and enable wider education impact initiatives. This financial commitment will help ensure we build a future pipeline of people who understand and value research before they ever enter it, either as a researcher or as a study participant.
For more information, visit http://www.innovativetrials.com/innovative-trials-academy
About the survey
The research was commissioned by Innovative Trials and conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 4001 Consumers across the UK and US (nat rep 16+) (Respondents: UK-2000, US-2001). The data was collected between 10.09.2026 - 14.09.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles
Key survey results include:
- One in 4 US adults (25%) and nearly 3 in 10 UK adults (27%) have little to no understanding of clinical trials
- In the US and UK, about 3 in 4 adults (75% for the US and 73% for the UK) believe they have a good understanding of what a clinical trial is. However:
- Half of all US respondents (50%) who think they have a good understanding of clinical trials do not know that all new medicines must go through clinical trials
- More than 4 in 10 UK respondents (43%) who think they have a good understanding of clinical trials believe you get paid to take part in a clinical trial.
- More than 1 in 4 UK and US respondents (27% for each country) who believe they have a good understanding of clinical trials say only one clinical trial is necessary for each potential new treatment
- Of those who think they have a good understanding of clinical trials, only 40% of UK respondents and 42% of US respondents know that study participants can leave a trial at any time
- About 1 in 10 respondents (9% for UK, 10% for US) who think they have a good understanding of clinical trials believe clinical trials are only for people who are terminally ill
- When it comes to clinical trial participation, a major concern for 40% of people living in the UK is not knowing what will happen during the study. This figure drops very slightly in the US where 37% of Americans share the same concern
- Nearly 3 in 10 Americans (29%) worry about being treated like a 'guinea pig'. In the UK, 1 in 4 (25%) worry about this
About Innovative Trials
Innovative Trials is an independently owned international company specialising in patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials.
Boasting over 16 years of experience, Innovative Trials provides three fundamental services in this domain:
- 1:1 In-country Recruitment Coaching & Site Support, facilitated by in-country patient recruitment experts operating in more than 70 countries,
- Site & Patients Educational Materials,
- Patient Support Centre for Referral Pre-Screening and Retention.
With expertise in over 600 trials, 30+ therapeutic areas, and more than 100 conditions, Innovative Trials has established itself as a trusted and seasoned partner for pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations (CROs) and biotechnology companies. For more information, visit
Media Contact
Laura Gibson, Innovative Trials, 44 7771 933609, [email protected], https://innovativetrials.com
Patrick Farrell, Sniper PR, 1 603 661 0799, [email protected]
SOURCE Innovative Trials
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