Clinical Trial Intelligence

Which EU sites lead paediatric Phase 3 trial participation?

17 June 2026

Across 488 paediatric Phase 3 trials, the dataset contains 9,879 trial-level planned sites and 98,650 planned participants. Site leadership is concentrated in major children’s hospitals and university systems: Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona participated in 114 of 488 trials (23.4%), followed by Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris with 108 trials (22.1%) and Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron with 101 trials (20.7%). Country deployment is also concentrated: Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland account for 7,095 of 10,041 country-authorized site slots (70.7%).

488
Paediatric Phase 3 trials
9,879
Trial-level planned sites
114
Trials at the leading site
70.7%
Site slots in top 5 countries

Top EU paediatric Phase 3 trial sites are concentrated in Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, and Germany

The top 10 normalized sites account for 878 of 9,381 unique site-trial participations (9.4%). The leading site, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona, appears in 114 of 488 trials (23.4%).

Top 10 sites by number of paediatric Phase 3 trials
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Spain114 / 488 · 23.4%
Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris France108 / 488 · 22.1%
Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron Spain101 / 488 · 20.7%
Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù Italy97 / 488 · 19.9%
UZ Leuven Belgium86 / 488 · 17.6%
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Germany81 / 488 · 16.6%
Hospital Universitario La Paz Spain79 / 488 · 16.2%
Hospital Universitario Y Politecnico La Fe Spain78 / 488 · 16.0%
University Hospital Virgen del Rocio Spain68 / 488 · 13.9%
Hospices Civils de Lyon France66 / 488 · 13.5%
Measure: unique trial participation by normalized site name; denominator: 488 paediatric Phase 3 trials.
Interpretation

Pediatric Phase 3 feasibility in Europe is not purely country-driven; it depends on recurring high-volume children’s hospitals and university networks. Spain has five of the top 10 sites, making it the strongest single-country source of repeat pediatric Phase 3 site leadership in this cohort.

Spain has the largest pediatric Phase 3 site footprint, but France is nearly equal

Across 10,041 country-authorized site slots, Spain contributes 1,692 sites (16.9%), France 1,641 (16.3%), Germany 1,385 (13.8%), Italy 1,367 (13.6%), and Poland 1,010 (10.1%). Together, these five countries account for 7,095 of 10,041 site slots (70.7%).

Country-authorized site slots by country
Spain1,692 · 16.9%
France1,641 · 16.3%
Germany1,385 · 13.8%
Italy1,367 · 13.6%
Poland1,010 · 10.1%
Belgium459 · 4.6%
Netherlands276 · 2.7%
Hungary242 · 2.4%
Portugal237 · 2.4%
Bulgaria218 · 2.2%
Measure: country-level site slots across paediatric Phase 3 trial country records; denominator: 10,041 site slots.
Interpretation

For pediatric Phase 3 startup planning, the core European country set is clear: Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland dominate site volume. Smaller countries still matter, but primarily as specialist or disease-specific additions rather than the backbone of broad pediatric recruitment.

France leads planned pediatric participant allocation, ahead of Germany and Spain

Country-level planned participant allocations sum to 77,389. France accounts for 15,838 participants (20.5%), Germany for 11,677 (15.1%), Spain for 9,880 (12.8%), Poland for 9,503 (12.3%), and Italy for 8,091 (10.5%).

Country-level planned participant allocation
Country Participants Share Participants / site
France15,83820.5%9.7
Germany11,67715.1%8.4
Spain9,88012.8%5.8
Poland9,50312.3%9.4
Italy8,09110.5%5.9
Netherlands3,4644.5%12.6
Denmark2,8423.7%17.8
Belgium2,1682.8%4.7
Czechia1,5802.0%7.5
Finland1,3871.8%12.5
Measure: sum of country-level planned participant allocations; denominator: 77,389 participants.
Interpretation

France is slightly behind Spain on site-slot volume but leads on planned pediatric participant allocation. Denmark and the Netherlands have smaller site footprints but higher participants per site, suggesting a more concentrated recruitment model in selected trials.

Oncology and immunology carry the largest pediatric Phase 3 site burden

Using the primary listed therapeutic area, oncology accounts for 1,912 of 9,879 trial-level sites (19.4%) and immunology for 1,891 (19.1%). The largest disease-specific site clusters are atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, type 1 diabetes, and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Primary therapeutic area by trial-level site deployment
Oncology
1,912
19.4% of sites · 58 trials
Immunology
1,891
19.1% of sites · 76 trials
Neurology
1,000
10.1% of sites · 68 trials
Dermatology
874
8.8% of sites · 32 trials
Infectious Disease
625
6.3% of sites · 32 trials
Haematology
563
5.7% of sites · 35 trials
Measure: primary listed therapeutic area; denominator: 9,879 trial-level planned sites.
Largest disease-within-therapy-area site clusters
Therapeutic area Disease Sites Trials
DermatologyAtopic dermatitis40211
GastroenterologyUlcerative colitis33910
ImmunologySystemic lupus erythematosus1914
EndocrinologyType 1 diabetes1473
ImmunologyModerate to severe plaque psoriasis1363
NephrologyChronic kidney disease1342
OncologyAdvanced melanoma1302
HaematologySickle cell disease1296
ImmunologyHereditary angioedema1285
OncologyEwing sarcoma1203
Measure: primary listed therapeutic area and primary listed disease; denominator for site share: 9,879 trial-level planned sites.
Interpretation

The site map is split between high-prevalence pediatric immunology/dermatology programs and specialist oncology, haematology, nephrology, and rare-disease networks. For sponsors, this means the strongest countries are not enough; disease-specific site depth determines whether broad country activation translates into realistic enrollment capacity.

Small molecules dominate pediatric Phase 3 site deployment

Small molecule trials account for 4,542 of 9,879 trial-level planned sites (46.0%) and 215 of 488 trials (44.1%). Combination or multi-modality trials account for 2,006 sites (20.3%), followed by monoclonal antibody trials with 1,778 sites (18.0%).

Trial-level sites by modality group
Small molecule4,542 sites · 46.0%
Combination / multi-modality2,006 sites · 20.3%
Monoclonal antibody1,778 sites · 18.0%
Peptide / protein / enzyme669 sites · 6.8%
Vaccine299 sites · 3.0%
Oligonucleotide183 sites · 1.9%
Measure: mutually exclusive modality grouping; denominator: 9,879 trial-level planned sites.
Non-orphan pediatric trials
341 / 488
69.9% of trials · 7,464 sites
Orphan-designated pediatric trials
147 / 488
30.1% of trials · 2,415 sites
Interpretation

The pediatric Phase 3 site market is still anchored in conventional development modalities, especially small molecules and monoclonal antibodies. Advanced modalities are present, but they represent a much smaller share of site deployment and are more likely to require narrower specialist networks.

Operational takeaway for pediatric Phase 3 site selection

The highest-probability pediatric Phase 3 site strategy starts with Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland, then layers disease-specific centers from the top site list. For broad pediatric programs, Spain and France provide the deepest site footprint; for participant allocation, France and Germany carry the largest planned recruitment burden.

Definitions

A trial participation means one site appearing in one paediatric Phase 3 trial. A country-authorized site slot means one planned site counted within a country record. Modality groups are mutually exclusive: single-modality trials are grouped by their listed modality, while trials with more than one listed modality are grouped as combination / multi-modality.