studies will be taking place outside of acute Trusts, which is expected to increase demand for OUH to provide services to these studies.
Table 4. Summary of activity in 2025-26
| Participants recruited | Studies open to recruitment | New studies approved to recruit | |
| Commercial | 856 (6%) | 209 (22%) | 110 (35%) |
| Non-Commercial | 12683 (94%) | 753 (78%) | 203 (65%) |
| Interventional | 5133 (38%) | 434 (45%) | 172 (55%) |
| Non-interventional | 8406 (62%) | 528 (55%) | 141 (45%) |
| NIHR portfolio | 10103 (75%) | 751 (78%) | 254 (81%) |
| Non-portfolio | 3436 (25%) | 211 (22%) | 59 (19%) |
| Totals | 13539 | 962 | 313 |
4.1. The government's target was to reduce to less than 150 days the time it takes to set up a clinical trial, by March 2026. The 150-day target applies to all clinical trials, with a focus on commercial interventional clinical trials, at study level. It comprises three stages:
4.2. In April 2026 the DHSC announced that average set-up time for commercial clinical trials in the UK reduced to 122 days, down from 169 the previous year, surpassing the 150-day target, which is now regarded as a milestone rather than an endpoint, at a study level. This has been attributed to a combination of reduced bureaucracy, standardised processes and investment (~£137m) in research infrastructure, with 99% of studies now receiving regulatory approvals within the 60-day target.
4.3. There is an accompanying expectation that all participating trial sites (like OUH) must complete their set-up activities within 90 days, comprising two stages: