Cares

What Cares does

CARES (Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research corporation founded in 1984 and headquartered on the grounds of the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois. It administers non-VA research and education funds on behalf of investigators at four affiliated VA medical centers — Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center — covering the Great Lakes Health Care System. The organization was established to circumvent federal FTEE hiring restrictions that prevented VA investigators from staffing their research programs despite available funding.

CARES provides grant submission support, personnel hiring, equipment purchasing, travel fund administration, and clinical trial coordination for hundreds of investigators conducting biomedical research spanning laboratory, clinical, and health outcomes studies. Its authority derives from 38 USC §§7361-7368 (1988 federal legislation) authorizing VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporations, a legal structure CARES helped pioneer through 1987 Congressional testimony. It is a founding member of NAVREF, the national association of 83 VA nonprofit corporations.

Revenue, described as in excess of $5 million annually, is sourced from federal agencies (NIH, DoD, CDC), major pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Janssen, Abbott, Merck, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline), disease foundations (American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society), and individual donations. A small administrative staff of approximately 6-7 (CEO, Controller, HR Director, Administrative Director of Clinical Trials, Grants Manager, Administrative Support Specialist) executes these pass-through administration functions under the leadership of CEO Lauren Rich.

Name

Cares

Legal name

Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science

Website

https://cares-research.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CARES is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research corporation that administers non-VA grants and clinical trial funding for investigators at four Great Lakes VA medical centers, bypassing federal hiring restrictions to enable biomedical research for veterans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Administration Services

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM)

Keywords

• VA research administration
• Clinical trial support
• Grant management services
• Nonprofit research corporation
• Biomedical research administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Hines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: CARES administers research and education funds from federal sources including NIH, Department of Defense, CDC, and other government agencies. Their annual revenue exceeds $5 million from a wide range of sources.
2. Pharmaceutical and Industry Funding: Funding from pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Abbott Laboratories, Merck, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, and others for clinical trials.
3. Foundation and Non-profit Grants: Grants from organizations including American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Arthritis Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and others.
4. Donations: Individual donations to support research and education activities at VA hospitals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CARES is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers non-VA research and education funds for investigators at four VA medical centers (Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center). It provides administrative services including grant submission support, personnel hiring, equipment purchasing, travel fund management, and budget management for biomedical and clinical research.

Product overview

Cares (Chicago Association for Research and Education in Science) is a nonprofit organization that does not offer commercial software products or technology platforms. Rather, it provides research administration and support services to VA investigators, including grant and funding administration, clinical trial coordination support, research personnel hiring assistance, and education and training support across four VA medical centers (Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VA Research Administration Services
• Clinical Trial Coordination Support
• Education and Training Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports hundreds of clinical trials annually across four VA sites
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NAVREF (National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988NAVREF is a membership organization for nonprofit research and education corporations. CARES is a founding member, having participated in the organizational meetings that created NAVREF. The organization coordinates across 83 VA NPCs to share experience, provide education, create best practices, and lobby for favorable regulations.
• Edward Hines Jr. VA HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARES is associated with the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, providing research administration support for investigators. Hines is a primary referral center for the Midwest with specialized programs including Blind Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, Neurosurgery, Radiation Therapy and Cardiovascular Surgery.
• Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA first-of-its-kind partnership between VA and Department of Defense integrating all medical care into a federal health care facility with combined VA and Navy mission. Provides full spectrum health care including medical, surgical, mental health, and Community Living Center services.
• William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides tertiary medical, surgical, neurological, and psychiatric care, with 85 acute care beds, 18 residential rehabilitation beds, and 26 beds in community living center. Located in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Jesse Brown VA Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA 200-bed acute care facility with four community based outpatient clinics serving approximately 62,000 enrolled veterans in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois, and four counties in northwestern Indiana.
• National Institutes of HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor federal funding source for VA research administered through CARES. NIH provides grants for investigators across therapeutic areas including cancer, infectious diseases, aging, and more.
• Department of DefensemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal funding source for VA research, particularly for military-related health issues and combat-related injuries.
• Pharmaceutical Companies (Pfizer, Janssen, Abbott, Merck, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, etc.)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate companies sponsor nearly all clinical trials conducted through CARES. These include major pharmaceutical companies providing funding and experimental drugs for Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials.
• Hines VA-Serwa Research Center on AgingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished through a generous donation from the estate of Mrs. Rose Serwa. The Center supports interdisciplinary research to improve quality of life for older Veterans through focused investigation in aging-related areas.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Veterans Medical Research Foundation: San Diego-based VA nonprofit research corporation affiliated with the VA San Diego Healthcare System and a NAVREF member. Performs the identical role as CARES — grant administration, clinical trial support, and flexible personnel hiring for VA investigators — making it a directly comparable NAVREF peer.
• Northern California Institute for Research and Education: San Francisco VA Medical Center-affiliated nonprofit research corporation and NAVREF member. Performs the same statutory role as CARES under 38 USC §7361-7368, administering non-VA research funds for federal investigators constrained by FTEE hiring limits.
• Boston VA Research Institute: NAVREF-affiliated nonprofit research corporation serving investigators at the VA Boston Healthcare System. Operates the same model of grant administration, clinical trial support, and personnel hiring for VA investigators that CARES uses.
• Portland VA Research Foundation: Nonprofit research corporation affiliated with the VA Portland Health Care System and a NAVREF member. Provides parallel research administration, equipment purchasing, and clinical trial support services for VA investigators in the Pacific Northwest.
• Atlanta Research and Education Foundation: NAVREF-affiliated nonprofit serving the Atlanta VA Health Care System. Provides identical research administration, grant management, and personnel support services for VA investigators in the Southeast.
• South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education: NAVREF-affiliated nonprofit research corporation serving the Miami VA Healthcare System. Provides identical research administration services to VA investigators under the 38 USC §7361-7368 framework.

Others

• National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations: Membership organization of 83 VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporations including CARES. Not a competitor but the ecosystem enabler through which CARES collaborates with peers, shares best practices, and lobbies for favorable federal regulations.

Broad incumbents

• Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine: Large nonprofit dedicated to advancing military medicine by administering research programs across DoD and military treatment facilities. Operates at significantly greater scale and broader scope than CARES, but follows a related nonprofit research administration model for military health.
• Westat: Large private research support firm providing clinical trial operations, statistical analysis, and research administration services to federal agencies including NIH. Comparable as a research administration services provider, though operating commercially and at substantially greater scale than CARES.

Emerging players

• MUSC Foundation for Research Development: Academic medical center research foundation providing technology transfer and clinical trial support services. Comparable in function as a research administration service provider for clinical investigators, though anchored to a university rather than a VA system.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-association-for-research-and-education-in-science

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cares