Upcoming COG Events Across North America: Driving Collaboration in Clinical Research

North American Continent on a Globe

The Pharmaceutical Business Conference Group (PBC Group) has established a strong presence across North America through its Clinical Outsourcing Group (COG) event series.

Building on over four decades of combined experience in clinical research conferences, PBC Group delivers regionally focused events that connect biopharma trial sponsors with solution providers, regulators, and academics. Each North American event is tailored to address the unique characteristics and needs of its regional clinical trial ecosystem.

COG New England

Location: Burlington, Massachusetts (Boston area)

Audience Catchment: Senior decision-makers from New England and wider East Coast-based trial sponsors, including pharmaceutical companies, biotech start-ups, academic institutions, regulatory experts, and solution providers serving the region.

Key Themes Discussed: COG New England capitalizes on the region's extraordinary concentration of biotech innovation, with over 430 biotech companies registered in Massachusetts alone. The event brings together industry heavyweights and cutting-edge start-ups at the forefront of drug discovery and medical technology.

The multi-stream agenda features content addressing:

• Patient-centricity in clinical trials

• Strategic outsourcing models and effective vendor management approaches

• CRO qualification and selection through strategic questioning

• Clinical operations best practices specific to the New England ecosystem

• Integration of emerging biotech companies with established pharmaceutical infrastructure

• Regulatory updates and compliance considerations

• Technology innovation in clinical trial management

The 2025 event featured a prominent CMO panel discussing patient-centric approaches to clinical trials, alongside extensive discussions on evolving outsourcing strategies. With a large proportion of C-suite executives and senior directors attending, COG New England has established itself as the premier meeting place for the region's thriving clinical trial community.

Find out more: https://www.thepbcgroup.com/cog-new-england

COG Bay Area

Location: Burlingame, California (San Francisco Bay Area)

Audience Catchment: Clinical stage biopharma executives from across the Bay Area and wider West Coast, including senior leaders from the region's dense concentration of pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Key Themes Discussed: COG Bay Area serves as the premier gathering for the West Coast's dynamic clinical research sector. With over 40 regionally focused biopharma companies contributing to the program, the event emphasizes the Bay Area's unique position as a global hub for biotech innovation and venture capital investment.

Key focus areas include:

• Enhancing patient centricity throughout clinical development

• Stakeholder collaboration across the clinical trial ecosystem

• Pipeline management strategies for biotech and pharmaceutical companies

• Clinical trial design and execution

• Technology integration and digital health innovations

• Vendor selection and management

• Funding strategies and investor relations for clinical development

• Comparator sourcing and clinical supply chain management

The 2025 conference features a distinguished C-suite speaker line-up, with senior executives sharing insights on patient-centric strategies, diversity initiatives, and collaboration across the clinical development ecosystem. The event also includes a highly acclaimed CEO panel with fresh perspectives each year, providing attendees with strategic guidance on navigating the competitive Bay Area landscape.

Find out more: https://www.thepbcgroup.com/cog-bay-area

COG DMV Area

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Audience Catchment: Clinical stage biopharma executives from across the DMV Tri-State area (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), including senior executives, regulatory experts, and academic contributors from the region's growing clinical trial community.

Key Themes Discussed: COG DMV Area addresses the emergence of the region as a powerhouse for biopharma innovation. Following a successful inaugural event in May 2025, the conference has established itself as the essential gathering for the Tri-State area's thriving clinical research sector.

The conference focuses on:

• Vendor oversight and relationship management

• Effective vendor selection strategies

• Clinical operations specific to the DMV region

• Proximity to federal regulatory agencies and leveraging FDA relationships

• Technology solutions for trial efficiency and data management

• Regional collaboration between academic medical centers and industry

• Clinical trial innovation emerging from the DMV biotech ecosystem

• Regulatory compliance and quality assurance best practices

With over 75% of attendees representing biopharma executives, including a significant proportion of C-suite leaders and senior directors, COG DMV Area provides the region's clinical trial community with a dedicated forum for productive networking and thought leadership. The event's location in Bethesda positions it strategically near major federal health agencies, creating unique opportunities for regulatory insights and collaboration.

Find out more: https://www.thepbcgroup.com/cog-dmv

CRO Summit

Location: Durham, North Carolina (Research Triangle Park, RTP area)

Audience Catchment: Leaders from Contract Research Organizations and functional service providers, ranging from global CRO players to emerging small and medium-sized enterprises serving the North American market.

Key Themes Discussed: The COG: CRO Summit takes a specialized focus on the Contract Research Organization sector, addressing the increasingly competitive landscape where the CRO market is forecast to reach nearly $150 billion by 2028. Located in the Raleigh-Durham area, a recognized hotbed for CROs, the summit brings together industry leaders to explore operational efficiency and innovation.

Core themes include:

• AI integration in clinical trial operations and data management

• Site relationship enhancement and investigator engagement strategies

• Patient recruitment and retention in competitive markets

• Technology integration across clinical trial systems

• Budget optimization and cost management for CROs

• Collaboration models between CROs and sponsors

• Regulatory compliance and quality systems for CROs

The summit provides CRO leaders with insights from industry experts on maintaining competitiveness while delivering high-quality clinical trial services globally. Sessions address both strategic planning and tactical execution, helping CROs adapt to emerging technologies and evolving sponsor expectations.

Find out more: https://www.thepbcgroup.com/crosummit

The PBC Group Advantage

What sets the COG event series apart is PBC Group's unwavering commitment to delivering value for every attendee. COG events maintain a minimum 2:1 ratio between delegates and solution providers at every conference, ensuring balanced networking opportunities.

All events include drinks receptions to facilitate relaxed networking after busy conference days, and agendas are carefully curated to deliver thought leadership rather than back-to-back solution provider presentations.

Whether you're a clinical stage biopharma executive looking to optimize your outsourcing strategy, a CRO leader seeking to understand market trends, or a solution provider aiming to connect with decision-makers, the COG North American event series offers regionally tailored opportunities to forge meaningful connections, share insights, and shape the future of clinical research across the continent.