Primary data collection is at the heart of patient-centered research in the pharmaceutical industry. Whether the method includes interviews, a survey, an advisory board, or an observational study, the goal is the same: to generate credible, actionable evidence that ultimately serves patients.
However, primary data collection in the European Union (EU) comes with a regulatory layer that many research teams underestimate, and the consequences of getting it wrong can render an entire study unusable. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the EU's comprehensive legal framework governing how personal data are collected, processed, stored, and protected, and it applies far more broadly than clinical trials alone.
This report shares the five essential concepts every research team needs to understand before data collection begins, from establishing a legal basis to defining roles across your vendor ecosystem.
