17 September 2026
News
To increase visibility and facilitate access to French clinical research for stakeholders around the world: this is the goal of “My French Clinical Trial,” a pioneering initiative launched by F-CRIN, French Healthcare, and a consortium of French clinical research organizations: the Agence de l’Innovation en Santé, the CNCR representing hospitals, Inserm, Unicancer, Leem, Snitem, AFCROs, and Business France. The objectives of this portal for foreign industrial and academic sponsors are to better understand the French ecosystem and the processes for setting up clinical trials in France, and to quickly identify the right contacts (teams, research centers, etc.). A contact point, managed by F-CRIN, will provide personalized responses to questions and all requests from visitors to the page.
Against the backdrop of intensifying international competition to host clinical trials, the transparency of the ecosystem, the speed of study implementation, and the ability to effectively guide project leaders are key factors in attracting and remaining competitive. For patients, the stakes are also very real: hosting more clinical trials can facilitate their early access to treatments and therapeutic innovations.
France ranks among the most attractive countries in Europe for clinical research. It boasts numerous strengths: recognized scientific and clinical expertise (ranked 9th globally in Clarivate’s 2024 ranking of the most-cited researchers), a large and diverse population, a world-class healthcare system providing access to large active patient cohorts and a wide variety of diseases, structured research networks, a clear and secure European regulatory framework, controlled research costs, and a particularly rich network of academic, hospital, and industrial stakeholders.
Each year, more than 2,700 clinical studies are launched in France, including approximately 840 drug trials, supported by 3,300 research centers spread across the country. France is particularly recognized in strategic fields such as oncology (it accounts for approximately 15% of global clinical research in this field), early-phase trials, rare diseases, and innovative therapies.
However, this wealth and diversity of stakeholders can make the French ecosystem difficult for international teams to navigate, particularly when they are conducting a study in France for the first time. The “My French Clinical Trial” portal was created precisely to facilitate this initial engagement with the French ecosystem.
Led by French Healthcare and implemented by F-CRIN in collaboration with a group of clinical research stakeholders, the project was launched in October 2025 and developed in partnership with the Agency for Innovation in Health (France 2030), the CNCR representing hospitals, Inserm, Unicancer, Leem, Snitem, AFCROs, and Business France, in collaboration with the Ministries of Europe and Foreign Affairs and of Health.
Making the French ecosystem more transparent and accessible
Accessible via the website frenchhealthcare.fr, which is available in both French and English, the My French Clinical Trial portal brings together essential information for launching, expanding, or coordinating a clinical trial in France. The portal enables project leaders to understand the structure of the French clinical research ecosystem, identify relevant research centers and partners, and navigate the various stages of the project.
The portal also highlights the mechanisms that help simplify and accelerate clinical research in France: centralized European submission via CTIS for drug trials, no regulatory submission fees, a single agreement for commercial research, national data and feasibility tools, and support and acceleration mechanisms for innovative research.
The portal goes beyond providing information by also offering a dedicated contact service. Administered by F-CRIN, this service allows project leaders to be directed to the contacts best suited to address their needs, whether they require information, a partner, or support.
An initiative designed to enhance the international appeal of French clinical research
By bringing together information, resources, and contacts that were previously scattered among various stakeholders and institutions, My French Clinical Trial provides a clearer and more concrete overview of France’s clinical research capabilities in order to encourage more international sponsors to choose France and open clinical trial sites there.
French Healthcare will promote the portal internationally by leveraging its network of partners—particularly those in economic diplomacy—as well as Business France’s offices abroad.
This initial version will be evaluated after six months, based on the portal’s traffic, inquiries received, and visitor feedback. This evaluation will help identify needs and potential improvements to the platform.
“With My French Clinical Trial, we want to immediately highlight one of the major strengths of clinical research in France: a structured organization, high-level expertise, and a particularly rich network of stakeholders. The challenge now is to facilitate access to these resources, particularly for international sponsors, by providing them with a clearly identified point of entry and the ability to be quickly directed to the appropriate contacts for their project. ” comments Vincent Diebolt, executive director of F-CRIN.
“ Promoting French excellence in healthcare is not just about raising awareness: it also means enabling those who want to work with France to easily find the right contacts and resources. That is the whole purpose of My French Clinical Trial. By opening an international gateway to the French clinical research ecosystem, French Healthcare aims to facilitate new collaborations and help attract more projects to France. ” adds Elisabeth Arnaud Grenier, Director of Operations at French Healthcare.
Clinical Research in France: Key Figures
- 2,700 clinical studies launched each year in France, including 840 drug clinical trials
- 3,300 research centers spread throughout the country
- Nearly 3,000 healthcare facilities, including 1,330 public hospitals, 657 private nonprofit facilities, and 978 private clinics
- 36 Clinical Investigation Centers (CICs), clinical research expertise platforms
- 26 national thematic networks for clinical research and expertise accredited by F-CRIN, covering numerous therapeutic areas
- 18 national reference networks for rare cancers and 10 cooperative groups and intergroups academic clinical research groups dedicated to the fight against cancer
- More than 100 CROs and a well-structured industrial sector
- Approximately 15% of global clinical research in oncology involves France
- Approximately 160,000 scientific publications per year, the majority of which are open access
- More than 69 million people covered by the National Health Data System (SNDS), which includes more than 3,000 variables, 1.2 billion treatment forms, 11 million hospital stays and 500 million medical procedures per year
- 19,860 clinical studies recorded by the ECLAIRE open API in early 2026
- Up to 14 days for ANSM authorization of certain trials eligible for fast-track review, provided the application is complete and raises no questions
F-CRIN is a national clinical research infrastructure created in 2012. It is led by Inserm in partnership with hospitals, healthcare companies, and universities, and supported by the National Research Agency and the Ministry of Health. Its mission is to strengthen the competitiveness of French clinical research by fostering a collective scientific and operational dynamic that serves patients and promotes innovation in healthcare. To this end, F-CRIN relies on three pillars: bringing together clinical research stakeholders, developing professionals’ expertise by pooling know-how, resources, and capabilities, and accelerating the adoption of new practices and the development of new therapeutic solutions. F-CRIN is based on a federative model unique in Europe, which currently brings together 29 complementary components serving clinical research in France: 27 accredited clinical research networks and platforms, 1 national coordination unit, and 1 support platform for the design and conduct of clinical trials. With more than 2,000 professionals pooling their expertise and resources, F-CRIN also serves as the French interface for the European clinical research network ECRIN, promoting the participation of French teams and centers in multinational clinical trials. More information: https://www.fcrin.org
French Healthcare is a public-private initiative launched in 2017 and supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, which brings together French healthcare stakeholders under a common banner to promote their expertise, innovations, and know-how internationally. Within this framework, the French Healthcare Association is the national network that brings together companies, healthcare facilities, startups, research centers, institutions, and other stakeholders committed to the internationalization of the French healthcare sector. The association currently has more than 300 members—ranging from startups to major corporations—who represent the diversity of the French healthcare ecosystem. Serving as an interface between public and private stakeholders, the French Healthcare Association helps promote French excellence in healthcare, develop international partnerships, and enhance France’s appeal. It also supports its members in their international development, networking, and access to new opportunities for growth and partnerships.
Press contact: EVE’VOTREDIRCOM - servicepresse@votredircom.fr - 06 62 46 84 82
