Onco:Innovate at Future:Trials STFNs Summit 2026: Advancing Oncology Clinical Trials

On 6–7 October 2026, leaders and innovators from across the clinical research ecosystem gathered in Munich for the second edition of the Future:Trials STFNs Summit 2026. As a sister initiative of Onco:Innovate, Future:Trials hosted the summit at Event Arena BFV, bringing together representatives from pharma, biotech, CROs, research sites, hospitals, patient organisations, technology companies, investors, academia and regulatory bodies.

With 100+ participants, 30+ speakers, 15+ innovators, 10 panels, five keynotes and four networking sessions, the summit explored a central question: how can clinical research evolve to better serve patients and healthcare systems over the next three to five years?

The event was co-organised by Petko Iliev from Clinovate and Kaloyan Ratchev from Vangavis / Onco:Innovate with the support of Munich MedTech. The summit started with welcome remarks from Petko Iliev and Dr. Eva Wolf – a day one supporter of the STFNs format, and was honoured by a video message of Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.

During the summit, Future:Trials founder and co-organiser Kaloyan Ratchev presented the sister initiative “Onco:Innovate” and highlighted the close connections and collaboration opportunities for both communities.

Oncology as a Key Theme at the Summit

Oncology was an important theme throughout Future:Trials STFNs Summit 2026, reflected not only in dedicated discussions on cancer clinical trials but also in the broader programme on patient engagement, AI-driven innovation, clinical research networks and access to new therapies. Oncology stakeholders contributed perspectives across the summit, highlighting the interconnected challenges and opportunities shaping the future of cancer research.

The summit also provided an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the Future:Trials and Onco:Innovate communities, bringing together two complementary communities with a shared interest in advancing clinical research and healthcare innovation. While Future:Trials connects stakeholders across the wider clinical research ecosystem, Onco:Innovate focuses on the specific challenges and opportunities in oncology. Bringing these communities together creates opportunities to exchange expertise, build new partnerships and translate innovation into practical solutions that can benefit cancer patients.

Exploring Global Trends and Best Practices in Oncology Clinical Trials

Onco:Innovate contributed to the panel “Global Trends and Best Practices in Oncology Clinical Trials”, moderated by Dr. Gergana Galabova and featuring Dr. Michael Thormann of OncoBone Therapeutics, Anna Tidstam of Ai:leen Health and Michael Gorray, PhD, of Massive Bio.

The discussion explored evolving approaches to oncology clinical trial design, patient recruitment and engagement, and the growing role of technology, data and cross-market collaboration. A key takeaway was the need for closer communication between preclinical and clinical researchers, alongside greater exchange of best practices across markets, to address challenges in cancer research and improve access to clinical trials.

Innovation and Collaboration Across Oncology

The broader summit programme reinforced these priorities, highlighting the potential of AI-driven solutions, stronger connections between healthcare providers and research networks, and more patient-centred trial design to make clinical research more accessible and efficient. By connecting the wider Future:Trials ecosystem with the oncology-focused Onco:Innovate community, the summit helped create a foundation for continued dialogue and collaboration across the cancer research landscape.

The summit showcased innovators developing solutions to address key challenges in cancer research, treatment development and patient access to clinical trials:

• Ai:leen Health – Developing generative AI solutions to support cancer treatment decisions and accelerate patient access to new therapies.
• iduneo – Connecting hospitals across Europe to accelerate oncology clinical trials.
• OncoBone Therapeutics – Developing novel therapies for bone-metastatic cancers using osteoimmuno-oncology and predictive preclinical models.
• iOmx Therapeutics – Developing next-generation cancer immunotherapies targeting tumour immune evasion in solid tumours.
• Massive Bio – Using AI to connect cancer patients with relevant clinical trials.
• Owkin – Applying AI and computational biology to drug discovery and clinical development.

These innovators highlight how advances in AI, therapeutic development and clinical research networks can help address unmet needs in oncology and support more accessible, efficient cancer research.

In addition to the onco-innovators, the summit was packed with stakeholders from the ecosystem, including:

• Alliance of Oncology Patient Organizations (Die Allianz, Austria) – Representing oncology patient organisations and advocating for meaningful patient involvement in healthcare, policy and research.
• Cancer Patients Europe (CPE) – A pan-European organisation representing people affected by cancer, with a focus on patient-centred policy, access to innovation and cross-border clinical trials.
• Gilead Sciences – Biopharmaceutical company with oncology research and treatment development activities.
• MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH – Pharmaceutical company represented by a leader in global clinical trial operations.
• German Oncology Network (DON) – Represented by a speaker and senior medical adviser associated with Omnicare/Römerklinik.
• Global Clinical Trials – CRO providing clinical trial services across therapeutic areas, including oncology.
• University Medical Center Mainz – Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials (IZKS) – Academic clinical research infrastructure supporting clinical studies and development.

Five key takeaways from the Summit

1. Smarter trial design starts with patients

Discussions on patient engagement and protocol design highlighted the importance of making clinical trials simpler, more practical and more responsive to patients’ needs. Involving patients and research sites early can help bridge the gap between scientific ambition and operational reality.

2. AI is moving into clinical practice

From site identification and patient matching to protocol review and data analysis, AI is creating new opportunities to improve clinical trial operations. However, responsible implementation, reliable data and human oversight remain essential.

3. Research needs to move closer to patients

Connecting community physicians, routine healthcare data and research networks could help bring clinical trials into everyday healthcare, expand patient access and strengthen recruitment. Cross-border collaboration will also be critical to making Europe’s clinical research ecosystem more connected.

4. The clinical research workforce is evolving

Automation can reduce repetitive tasks and free up time for strategic planning, risk management and patient interaction. The challenge is to ensure that technology supports the people who keep clinical trials running.

5. Better economics enable better execution

Standardised contracting, transparent budgeting and milestone-driven investment can make clinical trial delivery more predictable and sustainable. Discussions on life science investment, regulatory developments and emerging trial models reinforced the importance of aligning innovation with practical implementation.

For Onco:Innovate, participating in the summit was an opportunity to contribute to the dialogue on the future of oncology clinical research and connect with experts, innovators and organisations actively shaping the field.

We thank our fellow panellists and all participants for their contributions to these important discussions. By bringing stakeholders together around shared challenges, Future:Trials and Onco:Innovate aim to foster meaningful collaborations that can help advance oncology research and improve patient access to clinical trials.

About Future:Trials STFNs

Future:Trials STFNs is the flagship summit format of the Future:Trials initiative – a sister initiative of Onco:Innovate. The STFNs format takes place in Munich, Germany. It follows a boutique ecosystem approach bringing together representatives from pharma, biotech, CROs, research sites, hospitals, patient organisations, technology companies, investors, academia and regulatory bodies. The 2026 edition was co-organised by Clinovate, Vangavis and supported by Munich MedTech. Learn more at https://future-trials.org/