The NCT Masterclass: Sharpening Study Ideas, Expanding Perspectives and Building Networks
At the NCT Masterclass, participants from six NCT sites, the DKFZ, the CCC network and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) worked intensively on their study ideas. Photos: DKFZ/NCT/Andre Wirsig
The Masterclass enabled intensive exchange and networking among the “young Clinical Trialists.”
The expert lectures provided participants with new perspectives on study design, biostatistics, budgeting, ethics, regulation and patient safety.
Intensive work on one’s own clinical study idea thrives on well-founded feedback from experienced experts and on exchange across disciplinary boundaries.
The NCT Masterclass pursued precisely this goal. Five days full of intensive discussions, keynote lectures and mentoring: From 12 to 16 January 2026, 19 participants met with mentors and experts in Eisenach. The aim of the first NCT Masterclass was to further develop early clinical study ideas in a structured way. Scientific rigor, interdisciplinary exchange and a clear focus on patients were at the center.
The participants presented a total of 19 study ideas. Together, these were critically reflected upon and refined in terms of content. The interdisciplinary composition of the group and the expert lectures enabled the participants to gain new perspectives on study design, biostatistics, budgeting, ethics, regulation and patient safety.
Another central component of the Masterclass were the kick-off discussions with patient representatives. Through their perspectives, the study concepts gained patient-centered clarity and relevance at an early stage.
With great openness, Ulrich Keilholz shared his many years of experience and personal perspectives from medical oncology during the fireside chat on the first evening. His impulses for further sharpening the synopses made clear the potential of the Masterclass when participants use this opportunity ambitiously.
Keynote Lectures by Thomas Jaki and Jakob Nikolas Kather
Strong impulses for reflection were provided by the keynote lectures of Thomas Jaki, Chair of Computational Statistics at the University of Regensburg and Professor of Statistics at the MRC Biostatistics Unit of the University of Cambridge, on the topic “Innovative design of early clinical trials”, as well as by Jakob Nikolas Kather, Professor of Clinical Artificial Intelligence at NCT Dresden. His keynote on “Artificial intelligence in medical research” opened up new perspectives for the participants’ own study concepts.
“Overall, I found participating in the program to be very enriching and motivating, both professionally and personally.” (Antonia Schubert, NCT Heidelberg)
The feedback from the participants was consistently positive. Antonia Schubert (NCT Heidelberg), among other things, emphasized the high added value of the feedback on study design, sample size planning and budgeting within the framework of the OCT2 program. Klaus Kreitmeier (NCT WERA) emphasized that “the intensive exchange with the mentors, the patient representatives and the other participants helped to identify critical aspects and to develop concrete solutions.” In addition, he appreciated the networking of the “young Clinical Trialists” through the Masterclass.
In summary, the first successful edition of the NCT Masterclass not only advanced the study ideas in a concrete and practice-oriented way, but also strengthened the network of the next generation of Clinical and Medial Trialists. The Masterclass created space for what often receives too little attention in the context of developing clinical studies in everyday clinical practice: focused concept work, methodological refinement and critical discussion among peers.