Contract research organizations (CROs) are crucial in today’s rapidly evolving medical landscape, as they streamline the complex process of conducting research and clinical trials across multiple locations. Yet despite their importance, longstanding challenges such as regulatory compliance, logistical coordination and data integrity persist globally. While some regions show more progress than others, a truly holistic solution remains unresolved worldwide.
As a result, a new approach is essential to address these hurdles, ensuring more efficient, reliable and globally cohesive research efforts that can accelerate the development of innovative treatments and therapies.
Enter ACROSS Global Alliance, which describes itself as having an entirely new business model, being the first truly global alliance of CROs covering 99 countries, providing access to more than 8,000 study sites and a huge number of potential clinical trial subjects.
“The ACROSS Global Alliance’s operational model stands out by offering a centralized and fully integrated infrastructure.”
Built on a robust network of highly qualified, globally experienced local experts, ACROSS Global Alliance delivers innovative solutions that connect global reach with local expertise.
This accelerates evidence generation by centralizing and harmonizing data management from across multiple regions, significantly reducing trial timelines and enhancing result accuracy. This efficiency enables faster access to innovative medicines, ensuring that groundbreaking treatments reach patients sooner.
In collaboration with
Wemedoo
One of the key people involved in the creation of ACROSS Global Alliance is Chairman and Vice President of Business Development, Steven Bukvic. Following a global career in the pharmaceutical and CRO sector, including working with Covance, GSK, MSD and Pfizer, he was instrumental in forming the CRO partnerships that became the foundation of the organization.
“The ACROSS Global Alliance’s operational model stands out by offering a centralized and fully integrated infrastructure that eliminates the inefficiencies often associated with fragmented systems used by some larger CROs,” he says.
“Unlike traditional approaches, our system integrates all key trial management functions – from data capture and tracking to laboratory and document management – into a single, user-friendly platform. This reduces complexity, avoids redundancies and ensures that stakeholders can focus on delivering results rather than managing a wide array of disparate tools.”
Inclusive and innovative research
The ACROSS Global Alliance is committed to increasing access to clinical trials for underserved populations by strategically leveraging its global network and advanced infrastructure. As a result, one of its key areas of focus is identifying and addressing barriers to participation, whether logistical, geographical or socioeconomic, to ensure that clinical research is inclusive and equitable.
Through partnerships with community organizations and local healthcare providers, the alliance focuses on building trust and fostering engagement in regions with historically limited trial access, providing a deeper understanding of local needs and creating pathways to connect underserved populations with critical research opportunities.
Since its foundation in 2018, ACROSS Global Alliance has maintained its leadership through strategic planning firmly anchored to the adherence to international standards such as Good Clinical Practice and Good Data Management Practices. These principles are embedded into a unified operational framework, ensuring consistency and quality across all research activities conducted by the Alliance Partners.
“The ACROSS Global Alliance is setting a new benchmark in the CRO market, delivering services that are both innovative and efficient while meeting the highest standards of quality and compliance.”
In addition to this, ACROSS Global Alliance actively partners with regulatory authorities, academic institutions, and patient advocacy groups, ensuring the alliance stays compliant with global standards as well as addressing emerging needs in clinical research. These collaborations also help it deliver solutions that are both innovative and inclusive.
“By combining global ethical principles with sensitivity to local cultures, we create inclusive and compliant research environments that reflect the diverse populations we serve,” Bukvic explains.
“Our unified standard operating procedures and fully interoperable technical infrastructure enable efficient and ethically sound operations, ensuring that we deliver high-quality results while adapting seamlessly to evolving global and regional needs.”
Advanced technology
New technologies are foundational to the ACROSS Global Alliance’s ability to deliver innovative and transformative services in clinical research. By employing a centralized and fully integrated infrastructure, the alliance supports all phases of the clinical trial life cycle, offering capabilities that go beyond what has traditionally existed in the market.
This unified system incorporates tools such as EDC, eTMF, RTMS, CTMS, ePRO, eCOA, eConsent, laboratory management and image management, all working seamlessly to optimize trial operations.
“Our advanced infrastructure supports cutting-edge analytics and automation, providing analysis-ready data and accelerating trial timelines, setting a new standard for operational excellence,” Bukvic says.
“Our advanced infrastructure supports cutting-edge analytics and automation, providing analysis-ready data and accelerating trial timelines.”
Another strength of ACROSS Global Alliance’s approach lies in its ability to harmonize global standards through integrated terminology management, supporting frameworks like CDISC, MEDDRA, WHO and LOINC. This ensures interoperability, compliance and streamlined processes across diverse regions and regulatory environments.
The infrastructure also facilitates near real-time collection and analysis of real-world data, enabling global scalability and actionable insights that drive progress in healthcare.
“The ACROSS Global Alliance is setting a new benchmark in the CRO market, delivering services that are both innovative and efficient while meeting the highest standards of quality and compliance,” Bukvic says.
“Looking ahead, our goal is to expand the alliance’s geographical reach and specialist service offerings whilst maintaining the highest standards of quality, driving transformative changes in the clinical research landscape.”
