Minister for Health publishes recommendations aimed at transforming Ireland’s Clinical Trials Landscape
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 21 November 2025
- Last updated on: 21 November 2025
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, has published recommendations designed to increase the number of clinical trials in Ireland, improve patient access and bolster Ireland's international standing in global clinical research.
The recommendations, which have been approved by Government, follow 12 months of detailed deliberations by the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group (NCTOG).
They include a commitment to the creation of a Clinical Trials Advisory Council by early 2026, to ensure implementation of the recommendations, in advance of the establishment of a National Clinical Trials Body by Autumn 2027.
The recommendations address key commitments in the Programme for Government. They also address Ireland’s international obligations in terms of promoting innovation and boosting competitiveness to advance better health outcomes, combat emerging threats, and cultivate environments that enable multi-site trials through streamlined processes and robust clinical research infrastructure.
The recommendations include:
- Establishing Future Oversight, Governance and Leadership: A Clinical Trials Advisory Council will be established by early 2026 to ensure implementation of the recommendations, in advance of the creation a National Clinical Trials Body by Autumn 2027. This will ensure sustained and strategic leadership for the sector.
- Fostering Efficiency and Innovation: Future efforts will concentrate on developing more agile and responsive systems, including universal contract templates, streamlined data protection and costing processes, and an open-access performance dashboard to enhance accountability, as well as the development of workforce strategies and promoting the use of innovative technologies in trial design.
- Enhancing Public and Patient Involvement: This includes dedicated initiatives for public education and awareness about clinical trials, alongside developing a unified online clinical trial platform to better engage the public and patients.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said:
"The publication of these recommendations represents a significant milestone for the State in transforming the clinical trial landscape in Ireland. My thanks to the National Oversight Group for their excellent work and the Chair, Professor Donal Brennan, for setting out the next steps required as we seek to further position Ireland as an attractive destination for clinical trials globally.
"Supporting this work underscores our dedication to sustained growth of the pharmaceutical, medtech, and biotech industries, while strengthening our capacity and readiness to respond to emerging health threats. It also enables our continued strong role in EU efforts to foster innovation across sectors which will be vital to achieving our national and international objectives under the life sciences agenda.
"We now have a real opportunity to significantly enhance Ireland's standing in clinical trials, directly benefiting our healthcare service, our economy, and most importantly, the health and wellbeing of people in Ireland and Internationally."
Chair of the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group, Professor Donal Brennan, said:
“Delivering this vision will require sustained cross-Government collaboration and investment.
“Progress equally depends on developing a genuine partnership with patients and society. Patients today are collaborators, advocates, and co-designers of research, and building a more inclusive and transparent trials culture will strengthen trust and ensure clinical trials address the needs that matter most.
“Clinical trials in Ireland are at an important inflection point, and implementation of the NCTOG recommendations will allow us to build a framework in which people can benefit from participation in clinical trials delivered through a modern, supportive, and economically sustainable infrastructure.”
Notes
The final report, which will include the final recommendations is now published and available here.
The interim recommendations of the Oversight Group to Support the Expansion of Clinical Trials were published in November 2024.