Chicago Research Center
Chicago Research Center is a Chicago-based Phase I-IV clinical trial site founded in 2005, specializing in CNS, sleep, psychiatric, psychedelic, vaccine, and general medicine trials for pharma, biotech, and CRO sponsors. It was acquired by IMA Group in October 2025 and rebranded as IMA Clinical Research Chicago.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Chicago Research Center does
Chicago Research Center is a single-site clinical research organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood (3401 N. Central Avenue), operating as a Phase I-IV clinical trial site serving pharmaceutical sponsors, biotechnology companies, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs). Since its founding the site has participated in more than 800 clinical trials across four primary therapeutic areas: sleep medicine (narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep apnea, shift work), psychiatric and neurological disorders (depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, panic disorder, Alzheimer's and related dementia, mild cognitive impairment, psychedelics), internal medicine (Type II diabetes, hypertension, pain, women's health, migraines), and ophthalmologic conditions. The site maintains a proprietary patient database of over 50,000 individuals concentrated in CNS and sleep indications, and is staffed by board-certified physicians, licensed clinicians, psychometricians, and dedicated research professionals.
Revenue is generated through contracted professional-services agreements with sponsors and CROs for the execution of clinical trial protocols. Patient recruitment is supported by a dedicated outreach infrastructure including the IMA website, a Patient Outreach Center with two phone lines, online pre-screening booking, and a Refer-a-Friend program. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; specific study compensation varies by protocol duration and procedures, and trial participants are compensated for time and travel.
On October 8, 2025, Chicago Research Center was acquired by IMA Group, a private-equity-backed clinical research platform (with Centre Partners as financial backer), and rebranded as IMA Clinical Research Chicago. The acquisition marked IMA Group's first entry into sleep research and integrated CRC into a national network spanning 15+ locations across Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, and Texas, enabling multi-site trial execution and broader patient recruitment scale.
Chicago Research Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chicago Research Center
- Legal name
- Chicago Research Center
- Website
- https://chicagoresearchcenter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chicago Research Center is a Chicago-based Phase I-IV clinical trial site founded in 2005, specializing in CNS, sleep, psychiatric, psychedelic, vaccine, and general medicine trials for pharma, biotech, and CRO sponsors. It was acquired by IMA Group in October 2025 and rebranded as IMA Clinical Research Chicago.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Chicago Research Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical Research Services
- NAICS
- Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)
- SIC
- Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC), Site & Investigator Platforms (Site Payments, Feasibility, Activation) (HLACAOAJ), Neurology & Psychiatry (CNS) Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAF)
Keywords
Where Chicago Research Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chicago Research Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Clinical Research Services: Conducting clinical trials for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies across psychiatric, sleep, psychedelics, vaccine, and general medicine indications. Revenue is generated through contracted research agreements with sponsors and CROs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Chicago Research Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chicago Research Center (now operating as IMA Clinical Research Chicago) is a dedicated clinical research site that conducts Phase I-IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and CRO sponsors. Since 2005, the site has participated in over 800 clinical trials spanning psychiatric, sleep, psychedelics, vaccine, and general medicine indications, recruiting participants from a proprietary database of more than 50,000 patients. The site operates from Portage Park, Chicago, staffed by board-certified physicians, licensed clinicians, psychometricians, and dedicated research professionals.
Product overview
Chicago Research Center operates as a clinical research site organization offering Phase I-IV clinical trial services. The organization provides a unified research platform through its network of research sites, offering patient database access, psychometric testing capabilities, and dedicated research professionals. IMA Clinical Research Chicago (formerly Chicago Research Center) has conducted over 800 clinical trials since 2005, with specialization across four main therapeutic areas: Sleep Medicine (including narcolepsy, insomnia, sleep apnea), Psychiatric/Neurological Disorders (depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, psychedelics), Internal Medicine (diabetes, hypertension, pain management), and Ophthalmologic conditions. The organization was acquired by IMA Group in October 2025, expanding IMA's national network and marking its first entry into sleep research.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- IMA Clinical Research Chicago (formerly Chicago Research Center) Clinical research site offering Phase I-IV clinical trials across psychiatric, sleep, psychedelics, vaccine, and general medicine indications for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and CRO sponsors. Operates from Portage Park serving the greater Chicagoland area and has participated in over 800 clinical trials since 2005.
Companies that use Chicago Research Center
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Chicago Research Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Chicago Research Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chicago Research Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IQVIA: Largest global CRO with an embedded site network and site solutions offering. Comparable as a competitor for sponsor trial awards; CRC's IMA affiliation competes with IQVIA's site network strategy.
- Medpace: Mid-to-large global CRO running full-service clinical trials across all phases and therapeutic areas. Comparable as a competing buyer of sponsor protocol awards, though at much greater scale and with broader service scope.
- Parexel International: Global CRO with significant CNS and clinical trial site management capabilities. Comparable as a sponsor-facing competitor that bids for the same Phase II/III protocols CRC targets.
Direct peers
- Velocity Clinical Research: One of the largest SMO networks in the U.S. operating multi-specialty clinical research sites. Directly comparable to IMA Group/CheRC's thesis of consolidating fragmented research sites into a national network serving pharma/biotech sponsors.
- Accel Research Sites: Multi-site clinical research organization operating dedicated research centers across the U.S. Comparable as a similar-stage SMO focused on therapeutic specialization and patient recruitment capabilities.
- Javara Research: Integrated research organization embedding clinical trials within healthcare provider systems. Comparable to CRC's model of running trial operations with dedicated research professionals and patient recruitment infrastructure.
- CenExel: Clinical research site network with deep specialization in CNS, analgesia, and other complex indications. Strongly comparable given CRC's CNS/sleep focus and the multi-site operating model CRC now sits within at IMA.
- Clēnera: Niche SMO with clinical research site operations and patient-recruitment focus on CNS indications; operates with a similar specialty-site model to CRC and is increasingly part of clinical research site consolidation trends.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Chicago Research Center social profiles
Digital presenceChicago Research Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chicago Research Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Chicago Research Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chicago Research Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chicago Research Center
What does Chicago Research Center do?
Chicago Research Center (now operating as IMA Clinical Research Chicago) is a dedicated clinical research site that conducts Phase I-IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and CRO sponsors. Since 2005, the site has participated in over 800 clinical trials spanning psychiatric, sleep, psychedelics, vaccine, and general medicine indications, recruiting participants from a proprietary database of more than 50,000 patients. The site operates from Portage Park, Chicago, staffed by board-certified physicians, licensed clinicians, psychometricians, and dedicated research professionals.
Is Chicago Research Center a public or private company?
Chicago Research Center is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Chicago Research Center founded?
Chicago Research Center was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chicago Research Center based?
Chicago Research Center is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chicago Research Center make money?
One revenue line is on record: clinical Research Services.
Who are Chicago Research Center's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IQVIA, Medpace and Parexel International. Direct peers are Velocity Clinical Research, Accel Research Sites, Javara Research, CenExel and Clēnera.
Does Chicago Research Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chicago Research Center.
What industry is Chicago Research Center in?
Chicago Research Center's product category is Clinical Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGACAE, Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination, with a secondary code of HLAGACAC, Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts). Its NAICS code is 621511 and its SIC code is 8071.