Independent clinical trials are fundamental to improving the results, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health care. Because of costs, the scope of these trials is often limited to new products. Important clinical interventions, surgery, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation are of less interest to commercial sponsors seeking primarily drug and device authorization. Whereas investigator-driven studies now find support in the United States and European Union, they cannot match the resources available for commercial clinical trials. Public and charitable funding typically backs health care–orientated trials independently of manufacturers, but is often much smaller in size. Results matter. When we do get such new evidence, it allows us to look back: how good was the preclinical research to start with? While evidence-based medicine is the health care imperative of the 21st century, it remains difficult to generate the evidence base for pressing public health challenges. This session unites key stages and world authorities in the clinical trials process to explain why and what must change. With expertise on leading animal and human studies to end products, speakers will provide new insights into how clinical trials are conducted. Their common cause will be to argue that greater international cooperation and standards are required. That said, effective communication of clinical and societal benefits must be better coordinated to citizens, patients, health-care professionals, researchers, policy-makers, and society as a whole.