14 organizations
About the Research Study
Led by DIA in partnership with Tufts CSDD, this research examines how participant compensation is designed, implemented, and benchmarked across clinical trials — and how these practices relate to trial performance outcomes.
Using mixed methodology, the study evaluates compensation structures across phases and therapeutic areas and analyzes their impact on key performance indicators, including recruitment speed, retention, enrollment diversity, and protocol complexity.
- Mixed-methodology design combining qualitative interviews and quantitative data analysis
- Analysis across Phase I–III protocols, therapeutic areas, and protocol complexity levels
- Linking compensation practices to recruitment speed, retention, diversity, and protocol execution
Closing a Critical Evidence Gap in Trial Design
Participant compensation is a critical yet inconsistently applied aspect of clinical trial design, with limited empirical evidence to guide best practices. By linking compensation approaches to real-world trial performance, this work enables more evidence-based strategies that better serve both patients and clinical development goals.
Providing evidence-based benchmarks on compensation amounts and structures across sponsors, phases, and therapeutic areas.
Identifying compensation practices associated with improved recruitment speed, participant retention, and enrollment diversity.
Supporting more equitable, transparent, and operationally effective trial designs that serve both patients and sponsors.
Informing sponsor decision-making and future policy discussions with rigorous, real-world evidence.
Focus Areas
Three interconnected focus areas structure the study’s scope and analytical approach.
Understanding how compensation amounts and structures are determined across sponsors and therapeutic areas.
Comparing compensation practices by phase, protocol complexity, and therapeutic area.
Assessing relationships among compensation practices and enrollment speed, retention, diversity, and protocol execution.
Key Activities & Status
Alignment and finalization of scope, study launch.
Development of data collection tools and interview guide; conduct of in-depth interviews with clinical operations professionals; synthesis and review of findings with the consortium.
Submission of data from 12 recently completed Phase I–III protocols, including compensation details, protocol characteristics, and trial performance metrics.
Review and discussion of initial findings with participating organizations.
Delivery of final aggregated results and customized benchmark reports for participating organizations.
Preparation of publications and presentations to share insights with the broader life sciences community.
Key Deliverables
This study will generate actionable insights and benchmarking resources to support more effective patient-centered clinical trial design.
Confidential reports comparing individual company practices against aggregated consortium benchmarks.
A de-identified analysis of compensation practices and trial performance outcomes based on data contributed by participating companies.
Co-authored manuscripts, conference presentations, and webinars led by DIA, Tufts CSDD, and participating companies.
Participating Organizations
This project brings together a multi-stakeholder group of sponsors and CROs with expertise in clinical operations, research methodology, patient engagement, and benchmarking.
Study Leadership
The study is jointly led by DIA and Tufts CSDD, with active input from participating organizations.
Ken Getz is the Executive Director and a Professor at the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine. He is also the chairman of CISCRP — a nonprofit organization that he founded to educate and raise public and patient awareness of the clinical research enterprise.
A well-known speaker at conferences, symposia, universities, investor meetings and corporations, Ken also holds a number of board appointments in the private and public sectors. He received an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Brandeis University.
Mary Jo Lamberti is on the faculty at Tufts University and is Director of Sponsored Research at Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD). She is a global expert on benchmarking drug development operating practices.
Her research focuses on a variety of areas including outsourcing and partnerships, clinical supplies, investigative site initiation and management, patient recruitment and retention, and the use of technologies and digital solutions in clinical trials. She has published extensively and is a frequent speaker at global conferences.
Dr. Lamberti holds a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD in psychology from Boston University.
Maria Paula Bautista Acelas serves as Senior Scientific Project Manager at DIA, where she leads day-to-day coordination and development of DIA research projects. She works closely with scientific advisors, research partners, and sponsor organizations to advance DIA’s patient-centered research mission.
Get Involved
Participation is currently limited to a select group of organizations. We welcome interest from additional stakeholders and are maintaining a list for future engagement opportunities. Updates and key findings will be shared as the research progresses.
Contact Maria PaulaRelated Initiatives
Browse other active consortia and research projects within the DIA Research portfolio.
Advancing trustworthy AI frameworks across drug discovery, development, and regulatory domains.
Learn More →
Cross-sector work to address shared challenges and accelerate progress in obesity drug development.
Learn More →
Advisory-guided research to define patient-centered tolerability in immuno-oncology treatments.
Learn More →