Blogs

The UK research industry is changing fast. But one thing hasn’t changed at all: good research still starts with real humans. I’ve just been reading the MRS Research Live Industry Report 2026 and it’s one of the clearest snapshots of where market research is heading.

Explore the top research and insights trends shaping 2026, from human-first research and quality data to hybrid methodologies and transparency.

Imagine being able to design new therapeutics as easily as software engineers write code. Picture living cells programmed to manufacture life-saving drugs, or AI systems predicting how molecules will behave in the human body before they even enter the lab.

Drug discovery has long been an arduous and costly process, with the average new drug taking 10-15 years and an estimated $2.6 billion to bring to market, with an estimated 10%-20% of drugs that enter clinical trials achieving approval. The inefficiencies in this system have prompted a growing interest in artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative tool.