Clinical Research in the UAE: What Sponsors Need to Know
The UAE is becoming an increasingly important destination for clinical research, supported by advanced healthcare infrastructure, specialist institutions and growing investment in research and innovation. For sponsors, however, successful study delivery requires understanding the country's federal and emirate-level regulatory environment.
Understanding the regulatory landscape
Clinical research requirements can differ depending on the study type, participating institution and emirate. Federal requirements sit alongside local frameworks, making early regulatory pathway assessment important.
In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Health (DoH) oversees health research, with applicable studies reviewed through the Abu Dhabi Health Research and Technology Committee framework.
Dubai similarly maintains its own clinical research and ethics requirements through the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
Site selection matters
Strong feasibility goes beyond identifying large patient populations. Sponsors should consider:
Eligible patient availability
Investigator and research-team experience
Ethics and regulatory pathways
Contracting timelines
Data availability
Laboratory and pharmacy capabilities
Recruitment potential
For real-world and retrospective studies, confirming that the required clinical variables are actually available in patient records is particularly important.
Plan data requirements early
Data hosting, access, transfer and vendor arrangements should be considered during study design. This is especially relevant for multinational studies using centralized databases or international technology providers.
Defining the data flow and governance model before site activation can prevent significant operational challenges later.
Local expertise supports efficient execution
Clinical research in the UAE offers significant opportunities, but effective delivery requires coordination across regulatory strategy, ethics, feasibility, contracting, data governance and clinical operations.
VI Research supports sponsors across the UAE and Middle East with study design, feasibility, regulatory coordination, site activation, project management, monitoring, site management and study close-out.