SLOVACRIN at International Clinical Trials Day 2025 in Madrid: The future of clinical trials is inclusiveness

On 20 May 2025, SLOVACRIN participated in the prestigious International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD) event in Madrid, which this year was organised under the title “Rethinking Clinical Trials: Inclusivity in Practice” in collaboration with ECRIN and SCReN. The main theme was the need for greater inclusivity in clinical trials – a topic that is now more urgent than ever.

The growing recognition of the importance of diversity in clinical research across Europe and around the world points to the need to ensure that all population groups are adequately represented in clinical trials – regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic status. Only in this way can we ensure that the benefits of clinical research are equitably available to everyone.

The aim of the conference was to create a space for open dialogue between all clinical research stakeholders – patient organisations, ethics committees, regulatory authorities, researchers and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. Discussions focused on concrete steps to translate the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into the daily practice of clinical trials. Also resonating were the current challenges and barriers that need to be overcome to make clinical research truly accessible to vulnerable and under-represented populations.

As part of ICTD, a CWG workshop was held on 19 May focusing on communication skills development, strategic PR and effective stakeholder engagement. Participants had the opportunity to learn practical tools for better public communication about clinical trials, working more effectively with the media and building public trust through transparency and open access to information.

SLOVACRIN’s participation in ICTD 2025 was an important opportunity to share experiences, be inspired by best practices from abroad and actively contribute to shaping the future of inclusive clinical research in Europe.