When Velocity Clinical Research launched in December 2017, it had just two sites. Owned sites (SMOs) were the prevalent model at the time, and site networks were a collection of independent sites with a single point of contact. Velocity offered an alternative – a wholly owned and fully integrated network of clinical trial sites. That alternative model has since accelerated, with site networks expanding internationally to provide Sponsors and CROs greater efficiency, consistency, and scale.
An Industry Built on a Small Scale
Historically, engaging clinical trial sites was a fragmented process. Each independent site had its own contracts, interpretations of protocols, and varying levels of experience. Sponsors and CROs were accustomed to managing trials one site at a time, with contracts and oversight designed for a decentralized model. For Velocity and other early site networks, this indentured mindset and processes created significant hurdles.
“We hit roadblocks in the early days,” explains Craig Koch, EVP of Velocity’s European operations. “Our whole network couldn’t be contracted as a single entity because Sponsors and CROs weren’t structured for it. They were used to working with independent sites, and their processes reflected that. Each contract required individual site and investigator signatures, which made operating as a unified network, and realizing and demonstrating the efficiencies of that approach, difficult.”
Velocity had to push for change, demonstrating that an integrated model could deliver the efficiency Sponsors and CROs needed without sacrificing quality or compliance. “One of the biggest breakthroughs was convincing them to drop individual PI signatures from contracts in favor of an organizational leader,” Craig recalls. “That alone removed a major barrier to working at scale, improved turnaround times and enabled us to demonstrate the efficiencies of our model.”
Scale for a Purpose
That ability to scale was put to the test during the COVID pandemic. Project Warp Speed meant CROs were suddenly looking for sites that could recruit upwards of 400 patients. They needed less sites and more patients per site – which was effectively Velocity’s value proposition.
“Velocity has a startup mindset with the resources to deliver at scale,” Craig explains, “We worked with the Department of Defence (DOD) to add additional space to each of our sites so that we could meet the necessary enrollment targets.” That meant bringing in mobile doctors’ offices and hiring more staff to increase the site footprint. “Across the U.S, we added the equivalent of one Manhattan block’s worth of space in just eight weeks to meet enrollment targets.”
Image: Melissa Holbrook, then Velocity VP Operations at the install of the DOD trailers in Salt Lake City.
Since the pandemic, Velocity has become one of the largest integrated site networks in the world, operating 71 sites across the U.S. and Europe. Craig now leads Velocity Europe, overseeing 15 wholly owned sites in the U.K., Germany, and Poland. But the goal has never been scale for its own sake.
“The industry isn’t looking for bigger networks; it’s looking for smarter networks,” says Paul Evans, Velocity’s CEO. “The ability to run trials with global coordination while maintaining local expertise is what makes this approach so valuable.”
The Power of Scale
By proving the benefits of scale, Velocity has established a model that delivers clear advantages for Sponsors and CROs:
- Faster trial startup: A single contract with centralized governance and protocol training gets teams up and running quickly, reducing delays.
- Consistent performance: Standardized processes, training, and technology minimize site variability.
- Experienced research staff: Investigators don’t balance clinical research with general medical practice (and suffer burnout as a result). Instead, PIs and coordinators focus solely on trials, bringing past trial experience to each study.
- Improved patient recruitment: Velocity engages a large, diverse patient population through dedicated centralized marketing functions, recruitment platforms, and community outreach.
- Increased access: Additional resources allow for sites in rural and historically underserved areas, improving patient access to trials and helping to increase diversity among participants.
“The consistency and predictability we offer is a huge value-add,” Paul says. “We’ve built something that changes how trials are run, a model where sites operate with the same technology, the same training, and the same streamlined processes. That level of alignment is what allows us to deliver efficiency in a way independent sites can’t.”
Taking the Model Beyond the U.S.
Velocity’s success in the U.S. provided the foundation for international expansion. But growth outside the U.S. isn’t about imposing an American system — it’s about showing how the same principles that improved clinical trials domestically can work for Sponsors, staff, and patients globally.
“The goal isn’t to override local expertise or replace what already works,” Craig explains. “Europe and the UK have very different healthcare models. We’re taking what we know — how to integrate sites efficiently and improve patient access — and scale it in a way that aligns with regional needs.”
Rather than treating each new country as a separate market, Velocity integrates its global network so that best practices, technology, and knowledge flow freely between regions. Programmes like its Councils to Accelerate Research Excellence (CARE councils), which set consistent standards and design training for staff around the world, and its PIVOT programme, which trains and develops new Principal Investigators, are two examples of how scale can benefit staff, clients, and patients.
An International Future
The Velocity model allows Sponsors to run consistent, international trials with a single partner and limited delays. Craig and his team are focused on ensuring that Velocity’s model continues to expand across Europe in a way that benefits all stakeholders.
“Our goal is simple,” he says. “Make clinical trials more efficient, more predictable, and ultimately more accessible to patients. That’s what Velocity is all about.”
By scaling its approach and demonstrating its impact on a global scale, Velocity isn’t just expanding its footprint — it’s playing a leading part in a movement that’s redefining the future of clinical research.
