As financial pressures continue to bear down on the clinical research sector, it is vital that both sponsor companies and the CROs that conduct their studies continue to invest in the development and capabilities of their staff. Martin Robinson of IAOCR examines how only through retaining competent staff will the clinical research sector be able to meet the forthcoming challenges which include increased trial complexity, the rising use of ‘big data’, and the advent of artificial intelligence in both the diagnosis and treatment of disease.