51% of biopharma leaders cite ‘AI expert’ as a top role to fill in next 3-5 years

New Delhi: Parexel, one of the world’s largest clinical research organizations (CROs), recently launched a comprehensive report aimed at understanding the role that culture, key skill sets and talent delivery models play in driving innovation in clinical development.

“Optimizing the clinical research workforce: An industry analysis by Parexel.” benchmarks the trends and innovations having the greatest impact on drug development and identifies the skills required for today’s workforce to meet the needs of this evolving landscape.

Parexel’s research draws from an extensive quantitative and qualitative survey of more than 500 senior leaders and frontline workers across pharmaceutical, biotech and CROs in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

“The biopharmaceutical industry is rapidly evolving, driven by significant data and technology advancements, an evolving regulatory landscape and increasing clinical trial complexity,” said Keri Mattox, Chief Business Officer at Parexel. “This study analyzes these trends and outlines steps we can take to best foster, develop and support our industry’s most valuable asset — its people.”

Key Report Findings

♦ AI accelerates insights and streamlines tasks, significantly improving how clinical research professionals can provide thoughtful input and create critical output assessments. The report found that 51% of biopharmaceutical leaders see AI experts as one of the top three roles they need to fill in the next three to five years and that there is a critical need to continue to prepare and train today’s workforce to harness the power of AI.

♦ Continuous and robust training is essential for effective workforce development. Companies that prioritize continuous learning, embrace new technologies and offer purposeful work environments are best positioned to attract and retain top talent. According to the report, 87% and 82% of biopharmaceutical leaders cite innovative trial approaches and cross-functional training as top needs, respectively.

♦ Hybrid clinical trial models are gaining ground with sponsors employing various models to meet specific requirements, such as feasibility, project management and site selection. Over the next two to three years, leaders anticipate shifting slightly more toward hybrid outsourcing models as this combines the end-to-end services and efficiency of Full Service Outsourcing (FSO) with the flexibility and control over workforce talent offered by Functional Service Provider (FSP) partnerships.

♦ Adaptability and agility are the most critical skills needed and are critical for navigating and executing tomorrow’s clinical trials. Survey respondents ranked adaptability to AI, scientific expertise and data interpretation as the top three skills needed.

♦ CROs are well positioned to lead workforce transformation as they are already leading workforce transformation with support from biopharmaceutical companies. Through workforce investments and training, CROs can bridge the gap in current capabilities to create the skills and knowledge needed to meet the new and evolving demands of the biopharmaceutical industry.