PMP®  ·  22 Years  ·  60+ Studies  ·  18 Countries

Your Independent
Clinical Operations
& Governance Partner.

Vantrials provides fractional clinical governance to biotech and pharma sponsors running outsourced trials. Senior independent oversight of CRO execution, from study start-up through inspection readiness — scoped to the programme, not a fixed headcount model.

Who We Serve Start a Conversation
22+
Years founding
leadership track record
~60
Studies in founding
legacy portfolio
18
Countries across
APAC, EU, USA & MEA
I – IV
Phase coverage across
founding portfolio

Who We Work With

Three situations where
Vantrials typically engages.

CROs are skilled at managing their own delivery pipelines. That's not a criticism — it's their business model. The gap is on the sponsor side: without independent senior oversight, the sponsor has no structural check on whether CRO-reported progress reflects what's actually happening at site level.

Emerging Biotech
Series A / B Biotech Expanding Into APAC
Your first APAC programme is a significant milestone with a real governance problem attached to it. A CRO shortlist and a signed protocol are not enough. Without senior clinical oversight on the sponsor side, execution accountability defaults to the CRO, and the CRO's incentives are not aligned with yours.
  • No in-house APAC ClinOps capability to hold the CRO accountable
  • First regulatory submission to CDSCO, TGA, NMPA, or MFDS
  • Board or investor requiring named senior clinical accountability
  • CRO contract in place but sponsor oversight structure not defined
Mid-Size Pharma
Mid-Size Pharma Managing Complex CRO Relationships
Experienced sponsors know the pattern well. Change orders materialise after scope is fixed. Milestone status stays green until it suddenly isn't. Governance calls fill the calendar without moving the programme. The issue isn't the CRO's competence — it's the absence of independent accountability on your side of the table.
  • Change order volume tracking well above the contracted baseline
  • CRO milestone reporting not reconciling with site-level data
  • Programme governance active but timeline recovery stalled
  • Regulatory inspection approaching with TMF gaps outstanding
Sponsor with Active CRO
Programme Underway but Oversight Gaps Emerging
Signing a CRO contract does not automatically create a functioning oversight structure. Many sponsors discover this six months into a programme — when change orders have accumulated, site activation has slipped, and the internal team lacks the bandwidth or seniority to hold the CRO accountable. Vantrials steps in as the independent governance layer that should have been there from the start.
  • Programme running but sponsor-side oversight capacity is stretched
  • Budget accrual diverging from contracted milestones
  • Site activation behind schedule without clear CRO accountability
  • Inspection readiness concern with study close approaching
Working with a CRO? See how we help →
Without Independent Oversight
CRO Execution, Ungoverned
Change orders accumulate unchecked. Budget leakage is invisible until it isn't. Milestone slippage gets reported late. Escalations get acknowledged but not resolved. The costs are real; they simply don't appear on a single line item.
With Vantrials in the Governance Layer
CRO Execution, Independently Governed
Vantrials sits between you and your CRO as an independent senior voice: verifying what gets reported, challenging what doesn't add up, and keeping the programme accountable to the scope that was contracted, not the scope that drifted.
What Governance Recovers
Hidden Cost, Made Visible and Eliminated.
Change order overruns  ·  Protocol deviations  ·  TMF remediation costs  ·  Inspection delays  ·  Rescue engagement fees. Good governance doesn't add to your budget. It protects it.

The Vantrials Difference

Three things large CROs
cannot offer you.

Large CROs present their most experienced people at the bid stage. That's standard practice. What matters more is who picks up the programme on day one of delivery, and what accountability structure is in place when things drift.

01
The person you brief is the person running your programme.
At large CROs, the senior leader who presents at the bid review typically hands off to a study manager within weeks. That study manager may be talented, but they're also managing a portfolio of other programmes simultaneously. At Vantrials, the Principal Consultant leads every engagement directly — present on governance calls, accountable for escalations, reviewing TMF status personally.
02
APAC regional knowledge that doesn't come at your programme's expense.
First-time APAC programmes run through large CROs often absorb a significant operational learning tax: delayed site activations, country-specific regulatory missteps, and budget overruns driven by gaps in regional knowledge. Twenty-two years of APAC clinical operations experience means that knowledge is already built in, not developed on your timeline.
03
Senior governance without the full-time overhead.
In-house GSD capability means full employment cost and bench risk between programmes. Large CROs price the same seniority into overheads that aren't visible on the line item. A fractional Vantrials engagement provides senior governance output at a cost structure that reflects what your programme actually needs, scoped to the engagement rather than a fixed headcount model.
Full-time in-house GSDFull employment cost + bench risk
Large CRO embedded GSDOverhead-loaded, non-negotiable
Vantrials fractional engagementScoped · Flexible · Accountable

Six governance mandates.
One accountable partner.

Vantrials doesn't run trials. The role here is to govern the people who do — ensuring that what gets contracted gets delivered, and that sponsors have the senior independent oversight needed to hold CROs accountable across the full programme lifecycle.

01
Fractional Global Study Director
Senior clinical operations leadership embedded at the programme level, without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Strategic direction, cross-functional governance, and direct sponsor accountability across the full study lifecycle — scoped to the programme rather than a fixed headcount structure.
Fractional GSDPhase I–IVAPAC & Global
02
Contract PM / CTM Resource
Experienced PMs and CTMs available for defined programme periods — covering study start-up, site activation, ongoing delivery, or recovery situations. Senior seniority, not junior fill. Available on an SOW basis without the exposure of a permanent hire.
Contract PMContract CTMSenior Seniority
03
CRO & Vendor Oversight
Independent review of CRO-reported milestones against source data, structured KPI tracking, and performance governance across the study period. Present on governance calls as the sponsor's senior voice. Escalations are managed to resolution, not just recorded in meeting minutes.
Independent OversightKPI GovernanceEscalation Management
04
Study Start-up & Feasibility
Country selection, site identification, regulatory submission strategy, and start-up governance for APAC and global programmes. Direct operational experience with CDSCO, TGA, NMPA, MFDS, and HSA submissions means activation timelines reflect real regional knowledge rather than a learning process conducted on your programme.
APAC Start-upCountry FeasibilityRegulatory Strategy
05
Budget & Accrual Management
Independent CRO evaluation, RFP design, contract review, and ongoing change order governance across the study. Scope ambiguities that generate change orders downstream are identified and addressed before contracts are signed. Budget accrual is tracked against contracted milestones throughout, not reconciled after the fact.
RFP GovernanceChange Order AuditAccrual Management
06
Inspection Readiness Advisory
Trial execution aligned to USFDA, MHRA, TGA, CDSCO, NMPA, MFDS, and HSA frameworks from study start, not as a pre-inspection remediation exercise. TMF readiness maintained as a continuous standard. Pre-inspection reviews, mock inspections, and CAPA documentation are prepared to the level regulatory authorities actually expect.
USFDA · MHRA · TGATMF GovernanceICH E6(R3)

Enterprise-grade operations.
Consultant flexibility.

“Vantrials operates under a comprehensive quality management system built to ICH E6(R3) and sponsor-grade standards — the same rigour expected of large CROs, at the engagement scale of a boutique consultancy.”

The quality framework isn't a marketing asset. It exists because regulated sponsors have vendor qualification requirements, and meeting those requirements before a conversation turns into a contract matters. Every engagement is delivered against documented quality standards covering governance, document control, GCP compliance, and TMF management.

The full vendor qualification package, including policy documents, SOPs, and consulting agreement templates, is available on request and typically satisfies sponsor qualification requirements without additional documentation.

10
Policy Documents
Governing confidentiality, data integrity, conflict of interest, document control, and ICH GCP compliance
6
Standard Operating Procedures
With annotated working templates covering study management, site oversight, TMF, and vendor governance
ICH
E6(R3) Aligned
Risk-proportionate quality management built to the current GCP revision
Inspection-Ready
Perpetual inspection readiness as a standard operating state, not a pre-audit sprint
Governance Policies
  • Confidentiality & Data Privacy
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Document Control
  • ICH GCP Compliance
  • Record Retention
Operational SOPs
  • Study Start-up Management
  • Site Oversight & Monitoring
  • TMF Management
  • Vendor & CRO Oversight
  • Protocol Deviation Handling
Client Agreements
  • Master Consulting Agreement
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement
  • Scope of Work Templates
  • Change Order Protocol
  • Invoice & Payment Terms
Regulatory Alignment
  • ICH E6(R3)
  • 21 CFR Parts 11, 312 & 314
  • MHRA / EMA GCP
  • CDSCO Schedule Y
  • TGA · NMPA · MFDS · HSA

Therapeutic Expertise

12 therapeutic areas across
approximately 60 studies.

Operational experience across these areas means familiarity with site profiles, patient population dynamics, and the specific study design and monitoring challenges each therapeutic context presents.

Oncology
Respiratory
Hepatology / MASH
Cardiovascular
Metabolic
Infectious Disease
Immunology
Nephrology
Gastroenterology
Women’s Health
Ophthalmology
CNS
Phase I–IV
PK Studies
BA / BE Studies
Real World Evidence

Geographic Reach

18 countries across APAC,
EU, USA and Russia.

Operational experience across 18 countries, with direct engagement across each regulatory environment — not general familiarity with the region, but specific knowledge of how CDSCO, TGA, NMPA, MFDS, HSA, MHRA, and USFDA submissions actually work in practice. All engagements to ICH-GCP E6(R2/R3).

APAC — 14 countries
Australia
New Zealand
China
India
Taiwan
South Korea
Singapore
Hong Kong
Thailand
Malaysia
Philippines
Indonesia
Vietnam
Sri Lanka
Global — 4 markets
EU (select markets)
USA
Russia
Pakistan

Regulatory frameworks: USFDA  ·  MHRA  ·  TGA  ·  CDSCO  ·  NMPA  ·  MFDS  ·  HSA  ·  All engagements to ICH-GCP E6(R2/R3)

Principal Consultant
Imran Mubashir
PMP®  ·  Clinical Research Leader
22+
Years Experience
~60
Studies Managed
18
Countries
I–IV
Phase Expertise

Two decades at the intersection of sponsor strategy and CRO delivery.

Imran Mubashir is a PMP®-certified clinical research professional with over 22 years in study management and global clinical operations. His career spans Phase I through Phase IV and real world evidence across 18 countries in APAC, EU, USA, and Russia, in senior roles with leading global CROs and pharma sponsors since 2003.

The consistent thread across that career has been the sponsor-CRO interface: understanding where well-structured plans break down in execution, and building the oversight structures that catch problems before they become programme-level issues. That operational knowledge is what Vantrials was built to deliver.

Vantrials exists on a straightforward premise: growing biotech companies deserve access to genuinely senior clinical expertise, not contractors filling a headcount gap on paper.

Join the Vantrials associate network.

Vantrials is building a small network of senior clinical research professionals for future engagement opportunities. The profile we're looking for: experienced study managers, GSDs, and CTMs who want the flexibility of consulting but prefer to work within a structured framework rather than managing business development, quality documentation, and client agreements independently.

Associates access engagements sourced through existing Vantrials relationships, with quality infrastructure, agreement templates, and operational support already in place.

Not actively onboarding. We're identifying senior professionals for future collaboration rather than placing immediate roles. If you have GSD or senior study management experience in APAC and are open to exploring what a future engagement might look like, we'd like to hear from you.

What we look for
  • 10+ years clinical research experience in study management or GSD roles
  • APAC operational experience across at least three countries
  • Phase II or above with a sponsor or CRO — sponsor-facing accountability
  • Track record in CRO relationship management or vendor governance
  • GCP certified; PMP® or equivalent preferred
Expressions of Interest
Associate Consultant — APAC Study Management
Remote  ·  APAC Region  ·  Fractional / Project-based
Senior study management professionals with APAC country activation experience. Engagements typically 6–24 months, sponsor-facing, across Phase II–IV programmes.
Future Pipeline
Associate Global Study Director
Remote  ·  Global  ·  Contract
GSD-level professionals for fractional or full-study engagement on global programmes. Requires demonstrated GSD or Deputy GSD experience with direct sponsor oversight responsibilities.
Expressions of Interest
Inspection Readiness Specialist
Remote  ·  Global  ·  Advisory
Specialists with USFDA, MHRA, or TGA inspection experience. Particularly those who have led BIMO inspections or TMF readiness programmes. Advisory scope, typically 3–6 months.

Let’s discuss your programme.

Initial conversations are short and without obligation. If you have a programme in planning or already running, and governance or oversight is a gap, it's worth a 30-minute call to establish whether there's a fit. Most engagements start that way.

  • Emailexpert@vantrials.com
  • Phone+91 90082 78182
  • Webvantrials.com
  • LocationBengaluru, Karnataka, India
  • CoverageGlobal  ·  APAC specialisation  ·  USD & INR billing
  • EntityVantrials  ·  GST Registered Proprietorship

All enquiries are handled directly by Imran Mubashir. Responses within one business day.