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Purpose of Page
Purpose of Page
The UK is making significant progress in building its research capability and performance reputation for the life-sciences industry. Accomplishments such as the first Global/European participant are testament to the UK's ability to deliver research and opportunities for patients, carers and the public.
From 01 January 2026 the definition of recruitment used by the RDN for the Global and European Firsts was updated to align with the UKCRD definition of First Participant First Visit (FPFV) as the date on which the participant provided informed consent to participate in the trial (reference and UKCRD FAQs 11). Prior to this, the FPFV date refers to the date on which the first participant took part in the study (i.e. counted towards the sample size of the study as set out in the study protocol).
A Global First is the first participant recruited into a globally running study (i.e. a site in the UK has recruited the first participant in a study which is running in the UK and at least one other country). A European First is the first participant to be recruited into a European site in a global study (e.g. a study may have recruited a participant in the USA, but the UK recruited the first participant in participating European countries).
Global/European First recruitment for commercial studies is a significant achievement and one which is only delivered through effective and well-managed feasibility and study set-up, reflecting the dedication and efforts of Principal Investigators (PIs) and colleagues within teams at recruiting organisations.
This page shows the 2026/27 Global/European First participants for studies delivered by the health and care sector and supported by NIHR RDN. Please see separate pages through the menu for details of Global/European First achievements for 2025/26, 2024/25, 2023/24, and 2022/23.
Global/European First participants for RDN-supported studies as achieved in recruiting organisations in the Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, where known, are also shown in Table 3.
The tables on this site will be updated monthly as part of the validation process. For any questions, please contact the NIHR RDN Coordinating Centre Performance & Impact team (rdncc.performance.impact@nihr.ac.uk).
Please note that the figures on this site may differ from those shared elsewhere due to retrospective reporting of the achievement of Global and European Firsts.
Table 1: Global Firsts 2026/27
Table 1: Global Firsts 2026/27
5 Global Firsts have been achieved in 2026/27 (updated 15/06/2026).
Table 2: European Firsts 2026/27
Table 2: European Firsts 2026/27
13 European Firsts have been achieved in 2026/27 (updated 15/06/2026).
Table 3: Devolved Administration Global and European Firsts 2026/27
Table 3: Devolved Administration Global and European Firsts 2026/27
No Global and no European Firsts have yet been achieved in 2026/27 by sites in the Devolved Administrations for studies delivered by the NHS and social care sector and supported by NIHR RDN (updated 29/04/26).
Acronyms
Acronyms
RDN = Research Delivery Network
RRDN = Regional Research Delivery Network
FPFV = First Patient (or healthy volunteer) First Visit
n/a = Not Applicable
Version Control
Version Control
Version: 1.11
Effective from: 14 May 2026
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