Objective To understand the current status of the preferences and opinions on the investigator-initiated trails (IIT) of the neurosurgeons participating in INTERACT3 in China, as well as the design preference for IIT projects, and to provide a basis for the design and organization of multi-center clinical studies in the future. Methods Neurosurgeons with different seniority and professional titles from 89 domestic research institutions participating in the INTERACT3 project were collected from September to October 2023. The questionnaires were collected by questionnaire star. Results A total of 56 valid questionnaires were collected from 29 units. Among the 56 respondents, 52 neurosurgeons (92.86%) were from teaching hospitals and 45 (80.36%) were from grade A tertiary hospitals. 30 neurosurgeons (53.57%) had experience in conducting various clinical studies, and 55 neurosurgeons (98.21%) had experience in participating in various clinical studies. The main purposes of presiding over or participating in clinical research focused on “accumulating relevant experience and preparing for future projects” and “standardizing clinical diagnosis and treatment”, which were 89.29% and 83.93%. Respectively, regarding the way the case report form completing, respondents preferred to use electronic data collection systems (83.93%). Conclusions The purpose of the neurosurgeons interviewed to host or participate in clinical research is mainly to assist clinical and scientific research. Economic reasons have little impact on whether to participate in clinical research. The rationality and ease of operation of the trail design are the keys to attracting respondents to participate in clinical researches, and the level of remuneration has little impact on the decision-making of the respondents. The safety of clinical studies and the difficulty of enrolling subjects are the key factors that hinder respondents’ participation in clinical studies.