Feature|Articles|September 1, 2026

From Perspective to Action: Addressing the Real Cost Pressures in Clinical Trial Budgeting

Author(s)Tina Mincher, Shelley Douros

Static budgeting models and one-size-fits-all fair market value approaches create visibility gaps around inflation and true site costs, but regional frameworks, standardized costing toolkits, and accountability metrics can rebuild trust and replace defensive negotiations with transparency.

Building on the momentum from the Global Costing Task Force’s (GCTF) first article, Exploring Perspectives of Fair Market Value in Clinical Trial Budgeting, published in Applied Clinical Trials, the GCTF continues its mission to tackle the most pressing financial challenges in the clinical trial ecosystem. The initial article focused on understanding the differing perspectives of stakeholders: sites, sponsors, and CROs and highlighted how friction and mistrust often stem not from misalignment of goals, but from limited visibility into each other’s realities.