Spanish Clinical Research Network

What Spanish Clinical Research Network does

Spanish Clinical Research Network (SCReN) is a non-profit, publicly funded clinical research infrastructure platform that provides scientific-technical support for independent and academic clinical research across Spain. Founded in 2013 and coordinated from Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, SCReN operates as the designated ISCIII platform (Plataforma ISCIII de Soporte para la Investigación Clínica), financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-financed by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER). The platform is structured as a network of 31+ clinical research units (UICs) distributed across all 14 Spanish autonomous communities, enabling nationwide coverage of the Spanish National Health System (SNS).

SCReN's service portfolio spans five core areas: clinical trials with medicines (Phase I through Phase IV), advanced therapies (gene therapy, cell therapy, tissue engineering), clinical trials with medical devices, clinical trials with other non-medicinal interventions, and observational studies with or without medicinal products. As of the data cut, the network supports 275+ active studies across a diverse population base (Adult, Geriatric, Pediatric, Neonatal, Pregnant) and therapeutic areas. Distribution is direct-to-hospital: services are delivered through the embedded UICs to public hospital research centers, with no commercial sales channel or pricing structure. The platform also engages in researcher training, exemplified by a 2026 summer course co-organized with UNED on the regulatory aspects of human medicinal products.

SCReN does not generate commercial revenue in the conventional sense. Its funding flows from public institutional sources — ISCIII grants and FEDER co-financing — and services are provided to support academic clinical research within the public healthcare system without commercial pricing. Marketing and customer acquisition are conducted through institutional and academic channels rather than commercial sales. The platform has no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, subsidiaries, or commercial partnerships; its strategic relationships are limited to public institutional funders, university hospitals, and academic collaborators.

Name

Spanish Clinical Research Network

Legal name

Spanish Clinical Research Network (SCReN)

Website

https://scren.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Spanish Clinical Research Network (SCReN) is a non-profit, publicly funded platform that provides scientific-technical support for independent and academic clinical trials across Spain, operating 31+ research units in all 14 autonomous communities under ISCIII and FEDER financing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Writing & Regulatory Submission Support CROs (HLAGAAAG), Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Academic clinical trials
• Clinical trial support
• Advanced therapy trials
• Medical device trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: Funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-financed by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER). As a non-profit collaborative network structure at national level, the platform provides services to support clinical research within the public healthcare system.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SCReN is a non-profit collaborative platform that coordinates clinical research units (UICs) across 14 Spanish autonomous communities to provide scientific-technical support for independent/academic clinical research. Its services span Phase I–IV clinical trials with medicines, advanced therapies (gene, cell, tissue engineering), medical device trials, trials with other interventions, and observational studies. The platform is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-financed by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER).

Product overview

SCReN (Spanish Clinical Research Network) is a non-profit collaborative platform that coordinates clinical research units (UICs) distributed across 14 autonomous communities in Spain, coordinated from Hospital Universitario La Paz. The platform provides scientific-technical support for independent/academic clinical research, offering five core service areas: Clinical Trials with Medicines (covering Phase I through Phase IV studies), Advanced Therapies, Clinical Trials with Medical Devices, Clinical Trials with Other Interventions, and Observational Studies. The network consists of approximately 35 participating research institutes linked to major Spanish hospitals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trials with Medicines Comprehensive support for Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials involving medicinal products, managed through the network's distributed clinical research units across 14 autonomous communities in Spain. Active portfolio includes Phase I (18), Phase I/II (18), Phase II (57), Phase II/III (6), Phase III (77), Phase III/IV (3), Phase IV (57), and unclassified (39) studies.
• Advanced Therapies Specialized clinical trial support for advanced therapy medicinal products including gene therapy, cell therapy, and tissue engineering products.
• Clinical Trials with Medical Devices Support for clinical investigations involving medical devices, covering all device risk classifications and regulatory requirements within the Spanish National Health System.
• Clinical Trials with Other Interventions Clinical trials involving non-medicinal interventions including surgical procedures, behavioral therapies, and other healthcare interventions.
• Observational Studies Observational research studies with or without medicinal products, including cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies covering multiple population groups (Adults, Geriatrics, Pregnant, Neonates, Pediatrics, and combined cohorts).

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborative partner for organizing summer courses on regulatory aspects of human medicinal products research. Course aimed at improving researcher training on regulatory frameworks.
• Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder and institutional sponsor of SCReN platform. ISCIII provides national coordination and funding for the clinical research support infrastructure.
• Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination center for SCReN platform. IdiPAZ serves as the lead institution managing and coordinating the national clinical research network.
• Clinical Research Units Network (UICs) - 14 Autonomous CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 31+ participating clinical research units across all 14 Spanish autonomous communities, including institutes such as IDIS (Galicia), IBIS (Sevilla), IBIMA (Málaga), IIS LA FE (Valencia), IDIBELL (Barcelona), and others, providing distributed clinical research support capabilities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Parexel: Global commercial CRO with broad clinical trial management capabilities. Broad incumbent providing the commercial alternative for hospital sites that SCReN also serves.
• ICON plc: Global commercial CRO providing clinical development services. Represents the type of large-scale commercial alternative that SCReN's hospital members might use for industry-sponsored trials.
• IQVIA: Global commercial CRO offering full-service clinical trial management. Competes for the broader Spanish clinical trial market that SCReN helps its hospital members access, but serves commercial rather than academic trials.

Direct peers

• FCRIN (French Clinical Research Infrastructure Network): French national equivalent of SCReN - publicly funded academic clinical research network coordinating French university hospitals for independent trials. Closest functional peer given shared structure, funding model, and mission.
• Belgian Clinical Research Network (BeCRIN): Belgian national clinical research infrastructure supporting academic trials across Belgian university hospitals. Functions as SCReN's Belgian counterpart.
• NIHR Clinical Research Network: UK national clinical research network funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Comparable as government-backed infrastructure coordinating clinical trial delivery across the National Health Service.
• Swiss Clinical Trial Organisation (SCTO): Swiss national platform for clinical research infrastructure coordinating university hospitals and academic trial sites. Comparable as a publicly-supported academic trial coordination body.
• KKS Network (Germany): German Network of Coordinating Centres for Clinical Trials. National publicly-funded academic network coordinating university hospital trial sites, structurally identical to SCReN's role in Spain.
• Norwegian Clinical Research Laboratories (NorCRIN): Norwegian national network for clinical research infrastructure supporting academic multi-center trials. Comparable scale and mission to SCReN.
• ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network): European umbrella organization that federates national clinical trial networks including SCReN. Directly comparable as both operate publicly-funded, multi-country academic clinical research infrastructure serving independent trials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Spanish Clinical Research Network