COG: CRO Summit Europe 2026 Meeting Review
The COG: CRO Summit Europe returned to the Novotel Amsterdam City taking place on 15th and 16th September 2026. Building on the strong foundations of the inaugural event, this year's summit was bigger, sharper, and more ambitious in scope, bringing together over 30 speakers from across the CRO and technology landscape for two full days of insight, debate, and connection.
The energy in the room throughout both days was a clear signal that the industry is hungry for exactly this kind of candid, practitioner-led conversation. The event was expertly chaired by Sverre Bengtsson (Digital Trial Solutions).
Partnerships, Platforms and Precision
Day 1 began with Section A, Partner Collaboration, and an opening keynote from Yvanne Enever (PHARMExcel) and Melissa Melton (Momentum Pharma), who set an energetic tone by unpacking how small- to mid-size CROs are turning strategic alliances into genuine competitive edge, from joint bid strategies to unified sponsor defence meetings.
Joseph Lovett (Medidata) followed with a compelling look at how AI-driven protocol ingestion is collapsing the gap between study design and digital build, before Jelena Curtius (Barjaktarovic) of Precision for Medicine closed the section with a thoughtful session on why the decisions made before a study even starts so often determine whether it delivers.
Section B, Vendor Integration, kept the momentum going. Anke Müller (ClinChoice) offered a grounded operational perspective on managing platform diversity across multi-sponsor EDC and eTMF environments, Cathy Tyner (AG Mednet) shared a genuinely impressive real-world case study on eliminating enrolment-based protocol deviations through centralized eligibility review, and Niels Daems (QbD Clinical) rounded out the section with sharp insight into managing accountability across extended supplier and sub-CRO networks.
Section C, Tailored Expertise, delivered some of the day's most memorable storytelling. Gülden Ortaç (KlinAR CRO) walked delegates through a rare disease rescue study case, demonstrating how local partnerships in Turkey unlocked previously untapped patient populations.
Duncan Hall (Triumph Research Intelligence) made a persuasive case for intelligent, risk-proportionate RBQM as a genuine CRO differentiator.
The section closed with Laura Van Vaeck (Franklyn Health) delivering some welcomed clarity to the often-misunderstood world of drug-device combination studies under EU IVDR.
Day 1 closed with Section D, Optimising Resources, opening with Vitaliy Solskyy (People Value Research) delivering a powerful and thought-provoking session on the case for conducting rigorous, ethical clinical research in conflict-affected regions such as Ukraine.
Sarai Córdoba (Biorce) followed with an ambitious vision of AI-first trial design compressing study start-up from eight months to just three weeks, and Christoph Ortland (Forschungsdock CRO) wrapped proceedings with practical, no-nonsense guidance on building continuous audit readiness.
Day 1 closed on a high with a lively Networking Drinks & Canapés Reception that carried the day's energy well into the evening.
Europe's Edge and the Technology Frontier
Day 2 opened strongly with the C-Suite Panel on Europe's clinical research renaissance, chaired with real authority by Izabela Kozdraś-Urbanek (Brillance) and featuring a formidable line-up of CRO leadership: Yolanda Cabrera-Sybesma (CiNTL Pharma), Ibrahim Farr (Pivotal), Hakan Inan (Requalite), Paul Miller (Optimapharm), Kálmán Törőcsik (Research Professionals CRO), and Carla D'Altilia (Leon Research). The panel's candour on EMA reform and Europe's competitive positioning set a high bar for the rest of the day.
Section E continued with Ben Carmel (Slope) presenting a sharp reframing of lab technology failures as a solvable, AI-addressable problem rather than a site or staffing issue, Nele Verheyen (SGS CPU) made a compelling case for Europe's unique strengths in early-phase and first-in-human development, and Almenia Garvey (Allucent) closed the section with a nuanced look at site network consolidation and what it means for the sponsor-CRO-site relationship going forward.
Section F, Technology Disruption, proved to be a real highlight of the summit. Yuri Kartashov (Trialt) traced AI's journey from assisted to automated to genuinely autonomous clinical data management, Nicolas Thevenet (Euraxi Pharma) returned to the stage with an inspiring session on the growing power of home-based and decentralised clinical research across Europe, and Agnieszka Milewska-Kranc (Genelytica) brought valuable clarity to the complex world of CE mark validation for AI-enabled medical devices.
The summit concluded on a genuinely high note with Section G, a hands-on Artificial Intelligence Workshop facilitated by Martine Folkertsma and supported by Barry O'Mara, both of Parexel. Delegates consistently cited this candid session on moving AI pilots into real operations as one of the standout moments of the entire event.
Across two energetic days, delegates were treated to sharp thinking, honest debate, and genuinely useful takeaways on the partnerships, technology, and operational discipline shaping the next chapter of clinical research in Europe.
Our thanks go to every speaker and panellist who gave so generously of their time and expertise: Sverre Bengtsson, Yvanne Enever, Melissa Melton, Joseph Lovett, Jelena Curtius (Barjaktarovic), Anke Müller, Cathy Tyner, Niels Daems, Gülden Ortaç, Duncan Hall, Laura Van Vaeck, Vitaliy Solskyy, Sarai Córdoba, Christoph Ortland, Izabela Kozdraś-Urbanek, Yolanda Cabrera-Sybesma, Ibrahim Farr, Hakan Inan, Paul Miller, Kálmán Törőcsik, Carla D'Altilia, Ben Carmel, Nele Verheyen, Almenia Garvey, Yuri Kartashov, Nicolas Thevenet, Agnieszka Milewska-Kranc, Martine Folkertsma, and Barry O'Mara.
Looking Forward
The next edition of COG: CRO Summit Europe will begin planning soon... don't miss out!
When: September, 2027
Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
How to get involved:
Present on the Programme – David Jones (djo@thepbcgroup.com)
Sponsorship & Exhibiting – Alexander O'Leary (aol@thepbcgroup.com)
Register to Attend - www.thepbcgroup.com/cog-cro-summit-europe
Comments