This year, Veeva opened the 2026 R&D and Quality Summit by reinforcing its commitment to being a long-term technology partner to the industry. With the message “We Can Do This Together,” CEO Peter Gassner set the scene for the organization’s long-term vision to complete the industry cloud and build a connected ecosystem linking CROs, sponsors, doctors, and patients – with AI capabilities being central to that long-term vision. Below, we share key takeaways from those discussions and the product developments that stood out. 

2026 Veeva R&D and Quality Summit Takeaways 

Simplifying & Standardizing 

Discussions this year across sessions and the wider client community centered around how to make things simpler in a historically customized world. Biogen’s Tara Aldoory described the company’s journey to “simplify, standardize, and connect” clinical, safety, and quality handoffs as part of its transformation initiative.  

Clients are exploring opportunities to bring their environments back to standard to simplify upgrades and take advantage of the roadmap capabilities Veeva is introducing across the Vault ecosystem. For example, we’ve discussed with our clients the organizational changes involved in using Veeva connectors across Vaults. This requires teams to rethink how they manage product data and harmonize definitions across organizational units. It also means moving beyond separate ways of working in which each unit maintains independent control of its data. 

Expanding & Maturing 

Veeva continues to introduce new capabilities on its roadmap to build a more connected ecosystem.  

Quality updates focused on tasks teams perform within their applications. A new quality document viewer and AI-enabled document comparison were highlighted, alongside the continued maturation of Batch Release. Existing solutions, like Veeva LIMS, continue to iterate with client pilots that have shaped the 2026 roadmap. Many of the solution enhancements aim to solve an age-old master data problem through capabilities such as design data management automation.  

In Safety, automatic case assignment provided another example of functionality aimed at a specific operational task. Regulatory updates included a forthcoming labeling application, extending Veeva’s product discussion into additional areas of regulatory operations.  

The RIM–Medical connection introduced earlier this year offers another example of this more connected ecosystem, allowing Medical to use the product hierarchy maintained in RIM as its source of truth. It also supports document exchange through Document Crosslink, so steady-state documents maintained in RIM can be viewed and used in Medical. 

In Clinical, updates reflected continued development in eCOA and EDC, including Study Builder. Veeva also introduced the option to purchase the Clinical Study Suite by study, supporting organizations whether they insource trial activities or outsource them to a CRO. 

Product innovations on the horizon include EM and EHS capabilities, giving clients additional ways to leverage the Vault platform and its connected ecosystem.  

Evolving AI Capabilities & Pricing

Veeva’s AI capabilities continue to grow with the addition of Falcon agents, which perform the work for users, alongside Vault AI capabilities that help users do their work. Clients discussed the simplified non-token-based pricing rolled out at the Summit (5% of license cost in the first year; 10% each year following) and how this structure changes the business case for investing in AI.   

Sessions also clarified Veeva’s stance on Vault AI operating within the Veeva Vault ecosystem, where agents can use existing security controls and user permissions (with a layer of necessary control). For clients, this approach raises questions about how data migration decisions required during initial implementations will affect their ability to use Vault AI. For those whose data migration strategy didn’t bring all historic data within the four walls of the Vault, building external AI capabilities that can access Vault and non-Vault data will continue to be a reality.  

For those who have migrated into Vault, however, the platform is expanding capabilities to include agents that can operate across Vaults, bringing together cross-functional data in a compliant way. Conversational AI also illustrated how that assistance could work within Vault. Users can ask complex questions and receive responses grounded in Vault content, reducing the need to develop reports to find the information they need.  

Looking Ahead 

Across all sessions, the pace of ambitious client projects was palpable. Clients are trying to do more with less while moving quickly toward a simpler AI-enabled future. Even at that pace, discussions remained focused on the people actually using the technology. Clients continue to build data literacy and strengthen data ownership within their organizations, recognizing that successful adoption will be critical in this technology frontier.