Held on 28–29 May 2026 in Copenhagen, the Veeva R&D and Quality Summit Europe brought together more than 2,000 professionals from across clinical, regulatory, safety, and quality functions. With over 100 sessions and a new, highly collaborative event space, the summit reinforced its role as a key forum for sharing innovation and building connections across the life sciences ecosystem.
Phil and Lucy from Bright Affect were in attendance, enjoying the opportunity to connect directly with clients, partners, and peers.
We had some great conversations around adoption, training, and how organisations can maximise value from their Veeva investments. Once again, the summit enabled us to focus on relationship-building, knowledge sharing, and practical exchange, where many of the most valuable insights are often gained through informal dialogue and collaboration.
Below is our take on the main highlights from this year’s event.
AI shifts from experimentation to execution
A central theme throughout the summit was the transition from AI pilots to real-world deployment. New capabilities across the Veeva platform, Vault AI, including AI agents embedded into workflows and the introduction of the Falcon “agentic labour” platform (available to early adopters in November 2026) illustrate how automation is moving into core R&D processes.
These tools are designed to handle repetitive, high-volume tasks such as document intake, regulatory correspondence, and safety case processing, allowing teams to focus on higher-value work.
The broader industry shift is toward an “agentic” model, where AI agents actively support and execute work alongside human teams, thus improving efficiency, and consistency.
The push toward a unified industry cloud
Another key takeaway was continued momentum toward a single, connected industry cloud that brings together development, quality, and data functions.
The goal is to eliminate fragmentation across the R&D landscape and create a seamless flow of data between stakeholders, from clinical development through to regulatory and quality operations.
This connected approach is increasingly seen as essential for enabling both AI and end-to-end process efficiency, as organisations seek to accelerate development timelines while maintaining compliance.
Simplification and standardisation remain critical
While new technology dominated discussion, the importance of simplifying and standardising processes was a consistent message.
Many organisations continue to face challenges from fragmented systems, inconsistent workflows, and duplicated effort. Addressing these fundamentals is seen as a prerequisite to unlocking the full value of AI and automation.
The summit highlighted how streamlined, standardised processes can reduce friction, improve data quality, and support faster innovation across R&D and quality operations.
Accelerating efficiency through connected, intelligent operations
Across the summit, a clear message emerged: connected data and modernised processes are key to improving efficiency across R&D. By linking systems across clinical, regulatory, and quality domains, organisations are creating unified data foundations that enable better collaboration, reduce duplication, and support more consistent workflows.
This is translating into tangible improvements in clinical trial performance, with a strong focus on streamlining processes, reducing administrative burden, and enhancing the experience for sites and stakeholders. At the same time, advances in AI and risk-based approaches are driving the transformation of quality, safety, and regulatory functions—automating workflows, improving compliance, and increasing productivity across the product lifecycle.
Networking and partnership opportunities take centre stage
Beyond the formal sessions, one of the most valuable aspects of the summit was the opportunity to connect with clients, partners, and peers across the life sciences ecosystem.
With thousands of attendees from a wide range of disciplines, the event created a unique environment for:
- Building new relationships and strengthening existing partnerships
- Sharing best practices and real-world experiences
- Exploring collaboration opportunities across organisations and functions
- Gaining direct feedback from users and stakeholders
Thumbs up to new venue!
This year’s summit benefitted from the new venue at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, offering dedicated breakout spaces, interactive sessions, and an expansive exhibition area. The setting supported a fluid exchange of ideas, with attendees able to move easily between sessions, demos, and networking zones.
The layout and scale of the venue contributed to a strong sense of community, making it easier for participants to engage with peers, explore new solutions, and participate in discussions shaping the future of the industry.
In summary
The 2026 Veeva R&D Summit in Copenhagen highlighted a clear direction for the industry: a move toward AI-enabled, connected, and standardised R&D ecosystems.
Equally important, from our perspective, was the summit’s role in bringing the community together. Through its new venue and strong focus on networking, the event provided a powerful platform for us to connect and collaborate with organisations who are navigating an increasingly complex and technology-driven landscape.
