What CERC does

CERC (Cardiovascular European Research Center) is a France-based Contract Research Organization (CRO) founded in 2008 in Massy by physicians with extensive cardiology experience. It specializes exclusively in cardiovascular clinical research and operates as a Société par Action simplifiée à associé unique under French law, with share capital of €293,100. The company employs 70+ multidisciplinary staff and currently manages over 50 active projects across 56 countries, with more than 250 publications in leading cardiovascular journals including JACC, NEJM, and Circulation.

CERC delivers end-to-end clinical trial services across three therapeutic areas: coronary artery disease, structural heart disease, and hypertension/renal denervation. Its service portfolio covers clinical trial management, regulatory expertise (MDR, FDA, PMDA, GDPR), core laboratory analysis (ECG, ECHO, CT-SCAN, MRI, angiography, IVUS, OCT), e-CRF data management and biostatistics, CEC/DSMB and safety management, health economics, publication support, and investigator-initiated trial sponsorship. The company holds ISO-9001 certification (since 2016) and has acted as EU Legal Representative of Sponsor for investigator-initiated trials since 2020.

The business model is B2B professional services: CERC signs quote-based service contracts with medical device manufacturers and academic investigators, generating revenue per trial from protocol design through regulatory submission, execution, and publication. Named customers include Medtronic (EMBRACE renal denervation study), MVRX (MAVERIC mitral valve study across 13 centers in 6 countries), and Elixir Medical Corporation (DESyne BDS Plus coronary stent RCT). The company markets itself through scientific conferences (notably EuroPCR), peer-reviewed publications, and its CERC Chronicle newsletter rather than traditional B2B sales channels. No external funding, parent company, M&A activity, or AI/ML capabilities are evidenced in the available data.

Name

CERC

Legal name

Centre européen de recherche cardiovasculaire

Website

https://cerc-europe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CERC is a France-based contract research organization specializing exclusively in cardiovascular clinical trials for medical device manufacturers and academic investigators, delivering end-to-end trial management, core lab services, and regulatory expertise across 56 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Organization Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Data Management, Biostatistics & Statistical Programming CROs (HLAGAAAF), Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management & Medical Affairs CROs (HLAGAAAH), Medical Writing & Regulatory Submission Support CROs (HLAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular clinical trials
• Contract research organization
• Core laboratory services
• Regulatory expertise
• Clinical trial management

Headquarters

HQ city

Massy

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Research Services: CERC provides comprehensive clinical research services to medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, including trial management, regulatory expertise, core laboratory services, and statistical analysis. Revenue is generated through service contracts for clinical trials across various therapeutic areas in cardiovascular medicine.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CERC is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that provides end-to-end clinical research services for cardiovascular trials, including Clinical Trial Management, Regulatory Expertise (MDR, FDA, PMDA, GDPR compliance), Core Laboratory Services (ECG, ECHO, CT-SCAN, MRI, angiography, IVUS, OCT analysis), e-CRF Data Management and Biostatistical Analysis, CEC/DSMB and Safety Management, Strategic Consulting, Health Economics, IIT Management, and Publication Support. Services are delivered to medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and academic investigators across 56 countries.

Product overview

CERC (Cardiovascular European Research Center) is a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) based in Massy, France, specializing in cardiovascular clinical research. Founded in 2008 by physicians with extensive cardiology experience, CERC offers a comprehensive suite of services including Clinical Trial Management, Regulatory Expertise, Core Laboratory Services (ECG ECHO, CT-SCAN, MRI, angiography, IVUS, OCT), Strategic Consulting, e-CRF Data Management and Biostatistical Analysis, CEC/DSMB and Safety Management, Health Economics, and Publication Support. The organization manages Investigator Initiated Trials (IIT) and operates across three main therapeutic areas: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Structural Heart Disease, and Hypertension & Renal Denervation. CERC collaborates with industry partners and academic investigators across 56 countries, managing 50+ active projects with a team of 70+ employees, and has produced 250+ publications in leading medical journals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Management Exhaustive services and expert assistance in the whole cycle of clinical trials, from setup through execution to completion, provided to medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and academic investigators in the cardiovascular space.
• Regulatory Expertise Regulatory know-how ensuring all regulatory requirements are fulfilled before patient enrolment in compliance with MDR, FDA, PMDA, GDPR and other applicable regulations, for cardiovascular clinical trials.
• Core Laboratory Services Specialized core laboratory analysis including ECG, ECHO, CT-SCAN, MRI, angiography, IVUS, and OCT analysis for cardiovascular clinical trials, provided to industry partners and academic investigators.
• Strategic Consulting Expert guidance and comprehensive array of services to industry partners, ensuring the development of top-tier clinical strategies across the entire product life cycle.
• IIT: Investigator Initiated Trials Expert guidance for IIT optimization and logistics, managing full projects from acting as Sponsor through trial execution until publication.
• e-CRF Data Management and Biostatistical Analysis Electronic case report form (e-CRF) data management and biostatistical analysis services for cardiovascular clinical research.
• CEC, DSMB and Safety Management Clinical Events Committee (CEC) and Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) services along with safety management for cardiovascular clinical trials.
• Health Economics Health economics services supporting clinical development and market access strategies for cardiovascular therapies and devices.
• Publication and Presentation Support Support services for publishing and presenting clinical trial results in medical journals and conferences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ publications in leading medical journals including JACC, NEJM, and Circulation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MedtroniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedtronic is a supporting sponsor of the EMBRACE study, a clinical trial evaluating renal denervation in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing staged PCI. This partnership demonstrates CERC's ability to execute complex, sponsor-funded clinical trials for major medical device companies.
• MVRX, InccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMVRX, Inc is the sponsor of the MAVERIC study, evaluating the ARTO System for treatment of mitral valve regurgitation associated with congestive heart failure. CERC provides full-service trial management for this structural heart disease study across 13 centers in 6 countries.
• CERICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERIC is identified as the sponsor for the EMBRACE study on renal denervation. The relationship appears to be an affiliated entity or legal sponsor designation for clinical trial purposes.
• Elixir Medical CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElixir Medical Corporation sponsors the DESyne BDS Plus RCT evaluating their novel drug-eluting coronary stent system. CERC provides comprehensive trial management including project management, regulatory activities, statistical analysis, and clinical reporting.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Syneos Health: Syneos Health is a large biopharmaceutical and medical device CRO with cardiovascular capabilities. Overlaps with CERC in trial management and biostatistics for cardiovascular sponsors, but competes across many other therapeutic areas.
• ICON plc: ICON is a top-tier global CRO with cardiovascular and medical device clinical research services. Overlaps with CERC in cardiovascular trial management, regulatory, and biostatistics, though ICON serves a multi-therapeutic portfolio at much larger scale.
• IQVIA: IQVIA is the largest global CRO with broad cardiovascular trial capabilities across devices, pharmaceuticals, and real-world evidence. Overlaps with CERC across the entire cardiovascular CRO stack but as part of a much wider portfolio spanning many therapeutic areas.

Direct peers

• Medpace: Medpace is a global full-service CRO with a particularly strong cardiovascular franchise, running pivotal trials for medical device and pharma sponsors. Highly comparable to CERC in cardiovascular trial management and biostatistics offering, but at materially greater scale.
• Worldwide Clinical Trials: Worldwide Clinical Trials is a mid-sized global CRO with significant cardiovascular and metabolic trial experience. Similar to CERC in offering full-service Phase I-IV cardiovascular research including core lab-adjacent services, with broader therapeutic breadth.
• European Cardiovascular Research Institute (ECRI): ECRI is a European non-profit cardiovascular research organization coordinating investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored cardiology trials. Closely comparable to CERC in therapeutic focus, European base, and IIT/sponsor hybrid model.
• CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting Services: CTI is a US-based mid-sized CRO with a long-standing specialization in cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic clinical trials. Comparable to CERC in therapeutic focus on cardiology, full-service trial management, and biostatistics depth.

Emerging players

• Clario: Clario (formerly ERT/Bioclinica) provides imaging core lab and cardiac safety services for clinical trials, including ECG and imaging analysis. Directly comparable to CERC's Core Laboratory Services (ECG, ECHO, IVUS, OCT), though Clario is technology-led and multi-therapeutic.
• Baim Institute for Clinical Research: Baim Institute is a Harvard-affiliated cardiovascular-focused academic research organization offering clinical trial design, data analysis, and event adjudication. Comparable to CERC's cardiology-specific expertise and CEC/DSMB capabilities, though operating primarily in the US.
• Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF): CRF runs cardiovascular clinical trials, core lab analysis, and physician education programs. Comparable to CERC's cardiovascular-specialized CRO and core lab model, though CRF is US-focused and non-profit with a strong academic orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CERC_CRO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerc
• Facebookfacebook.com/cerceurope

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CERC