Frequently Asked Questions

Clinical Leader’s readers have told us about their struggles in efficiently vetting potential CRO partners. In response, the CRO Leadership Awards were developed.

The awards are based on independent research conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD). Tufts engages biopharmaceutical and medical device professionals from companies of all sizes who are directly involved in outsourcing decisions. Respondents evaluate CROs they have recently worked with, ensuring that the feedback reflects real-world experience and qualified perspectives.

Tufts analyzes this feedback to identify organizations that stand out for their performance. CROs are recognized as leaders based on how they are rated relative to their peers, with award categories designed to reflect the needs and priorities of outsourcing sponsors.

To learn more about Tufts CSDD’s research, publications, or opportunities to participate in future CRO benchmarking studies, visit csdd.tufts.edu or contact Tufts CSDD at csdd@tufts.edu.

Clinical Leader’s mission is to facilitate connections and foster collaborations in the preclinical and clinical research space. We deliver exclusive, actionable information to help industry professionals tackle the challenges they face in bringing high-quality therapies to market quickly and efficiently. These insights, analysis, and best practices come from interviews with — and contributed articles from — recognized experts in the field.

Topics covered include: pre-clinical, laboratory, bio-analytical, clinical stage research programs, pharmacovigilance, clinical data management, electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO), point-of-care testing (POCT), patient recruitment, electronic data capture (EDC), and clinical trials management systems (CTMS).

Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) is a leading academic research center based within the Tufts University School of Medicine.  Tufts CSDD performs robust, objective data-driven analysis on drug development trends, practices, and performance. As the research partner for the 2025 CRO Leadership Awards, Tufts CSDD is responsible for designing and conducting the sponsor survey and analyzing the results to identify this year’s top-rated CROs. Their independent, evidence-based approach ensures the awards reflect meaningful insights from sponsor experience.

The specific award categories and performance metrics are still being finalized by Tufts CSDD. Historically, analyses of CRO performance have included areas such as:

• Time, Cost-Efficiency, and Quality – Ability to deliver studies on schedule, within budget, and with high quality results and integrity

• Governance – Oversight, accountability, issue-escalation and decision-making processes

• Project Management – Coordination, planning, and execution management of study activities

• Culture and Workstyle – Collaboration style, communication, company philosophy and mission, and organizational fit

• Technology – Tools, platforms and systems that support data access, monitoring, and trial efficiency

• Operations and Financials – Day-to-day execution, resource allocation, financial management and reporting, and financial transparency

• Primary Services – Core CRO offerings such as patient recruitment, site management, medical writing, study monitoring, statistical services, and data management

The survey for the 2025 CRO Leadership Awards is currently open. If you are a clinical trial sponsor, you are invited to share your experiences with CRO partners by participating in the official survey. Your feedback helps identify the CROs sponsors trust most across key performance areas.

Take the Survey

Participants are recruited by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) from biopharmaceutical and medical device companies of all sizes. Respondents are screened to ensure they have decision-making authority and direct experience with outsourcing. To maintain objectivity, CROs have no influence over which customers are invited to provide feedback, and respondents only evaluate organizations they have recently worked with.

To be considered for participation in a future survey, please contact Tufts CSDD at csdd@tufts.edu.

CROs cannot complete the survey or nominate themselves. Only sponsor-side professionals with direct outsourcing experience are eligible to participate. To ensure that feedback reflects actual involvement, respondents are asked to evaluate only CROs they have recently engaged for outsourced projects.

To be considered for inclusion in a future survey, please contact Tufts CSDD at csdd@tufts.edu.

There is no cost to be included in the survey. For winning CROs, there is no cost to have a profile included in the awards supplement. The intention of this annual supplement is to provide Clinical Leader's industry readers with a resource they can use to vet CROs using feedback from other sponsor companies (their peers) who are utilizing outsourcing services.

Independent market research conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts CSDD) forms the basis of the CRO Leadership Awards. Through this research, Tufts is able to capture sponsor perspectives on outsourcing practices, CRO selection factors, and overall performance. These insights are valuable for CROs seeking a clearer understanding of how their services are perceived in the marketplace.

For further details on your company’s performance in the research supporting the CRO Leadership Awards, please contact Tufts CSDD at csdd@tufts.edu.

First of all – Congratulations! Please email info@clinicalleader.com and we will be happy to send you all of the necessary information to promote your company’s hard earned achievement.

Tufts CSDD is still determining how the results of this research will be shared. Details on access to reports or publications will be provided once available. Interested parties may contact Tufts CSDD at csdd@tufts.edu for updates.

Company size plays a role in a sponsor's service needs, budgets, and expectations when it comes to outsourcing. Therefore, participant responses are analyzed across three dimensions: big pharma ($1B + R&D), small pharma, and overall. By recognizing winning CROs in this way, the designations better serve sponsors in vetting potential partners.