Curiosity, Courage, and Change: Takeaways from IIEX Europe on the Future of Insights

Authored by: Gareth Phillips and Rachel Howard, Research Partnership

Stepping Outside the Healthcare Bubble

At IIEX Europe, we ventured outside our healthcare bubble to take in new perspectives and seek inspiration from other industries. Great ideas, after all, often come from putting two seemingly unrelated things together. From beauty bars to Hollywood studios, we were exposed to the latest in innovative thinking. One presenter shared a projection that space technology would become relevant for pharma within the next 7 to 10 years. At the same time, we picked up on ripples from our own industry – how GLP-1s are reshaping the FMCG landscape by impacting the future of snacking.

Generative AI: Beyond the Hype

It will surprise no one that there was no escaping the buzz around generative AI. But beneath the hype, there’s real transformation underway. As AI capabilities accelerate – genAI is reaching more people more quickly than any previous technology – the research industry is being fundamentally rewired. We heard again and again that the old trade-off of “faster, better, cheaper – pick two” no longer applies. Yet we must remain vigilant: the risk of “garbage in, garbage out” remains real.

Shifting Roles: From Data Collection to Curiosity Curation

Our excitement lies not in the shiny new features, but in what they free us to do. Workflows are shifting from 80% process and 20% strategy to the reverse – a far more exciting place to be. From data collectors to curiosity curators. It’s a radical mindset shift, and one that prioritizes better questions over perfect answers.

The Importance of Better Questions

As Albert Einstein once said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”  In an age overflowing with instant, commoditized answers, our enduring human value lies in asking the right questions, and in being not just insight generators but insight marketers; delivering impact. That means helping our clients break out of their echo chambers, think laterally, and interrogate their assumptions with fresh, diverse perspectives.

History shows we often overestimate the pace of change in the short term, and underestimate its long-term impact. That idea – popularized by Bill Gates – rings especially true in the context of AI. While it remains to be seen how quickly the various innovations we saw will be adopted in healthcare, the AI-fueled changes we’re beginning to see today will profoundly reshape all that we do over the next decade. And we want to lead that change with courage, curiosity and collaboration.

Piloting AI in Healthcare Research

We’re already piloting AI-moderated interviews (AIMI) and synthetic personas for low-risk use cases where they have the most potential to address particular pain points, pairing 24/7 “always on” virtual agents with our deep healthcare expertise. Because tools alone don’t generate value – people do. Now more than ever, we need to help our clients navigate what’s real, what’s useful, and what’s just noise.

Embracing Experimentation and Overcoming FOMU

So, let’s keep experimenting. Let’s overcome FOMU (fear of messing up) by positively incentivizing failure, and create new possibilities by bringing things together and daring to ask “what if?”.

Contact us to explore how we can help you deliver smarter insights.