Harvard Catalyst
Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, providing free research infrastructure, consulting, pilot funding, and informatics tools to Harvard faculty, trainees, and affiliated academic healthcare centers under successive NIH CTSA grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Harvard Catalyst does
Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, established in 2008 and headquartered in Boston, MA. It operates as a nonprofit academic research infrastructure organization funded primarily through successive Clinical and Translational Science Awards from the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), most recently a seven-year UM1TR004408 grant awarded in 2023, with additional financial contributions from Harvard University and seven affiliated academic healthcare centers (Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute).
The organization provides research support services free of charge to eligible Harvard trainees, fellows, and faculty, organized around four functional pillars: Train (C/T Research Academy, K12 Training Award, Harvard Catalyst On-Demand courses), Connect (Harvard Catalyst Profiles research networking platform, Catalyst Connect resource compendium, SMART IRB reliance system), Support (Biostatistics Consulting, Bioinformatics Consulting via Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core, Regulatory Foundations/Ethics/Law program, Pilot Funding, Informatics Program including SHRINE and i2b2), and Include (community engagement and research enrollment diversity initiatives). Core technology assets include the BSD-licensed open-source Profiles Research Networking Software, the SHRINE federated query network across Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and i2b2 informatics tooling.
The revenue model is grant-funded and non-commercial: there is no fee-for-service pricing, and services are provided without charge to the internal Harvard research community. Total disclosed grant inflows include $117.5 million for the initial 2008-2013 award, with subsequent five-year cycles in 2013 and 2018 and a seven-year cycle beginning in 2023; specific dollar amounts for the post-2008 awards are not publicly disclosed. The organization employs 51-100 staff and is governed by Multiple Principal Investigators (Lee Nadler and Lindsey Baden) and Senior Director of Administration Lucy Kolessin.
Harvard Catalyst firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Harvard Catalyst
- Legal name
- Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center
- Website
- https://catalyst.harvard.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, providing free research infrastructure, consulting, pilot funding, and informatics tools to Harvard faculty, trainees, and affiliated academic healthcare centers under successive NIH CTSA grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Harvard Catalyst industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical and Translational Research Support Services
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH)
Keywords
Where Harvard Catalyst is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Harvard Catalyst business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Funding: Primary funding from National Institutes of Health through Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program. Harvard Catalyst was awarded a seven-year UM1TR004408 grant in 2023, following previous UL1TR002541 (2018), UL1TR001102 (2013), and initial 8UL1TR000170-05 awards (2008-2013).
- Harvard University and Affiliated Academic Healthcare Centers Contributions: Financial contributions from Harvard University and its affiliated academic healthcare centers including Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free biostatistics consultations for Harvard researchers |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Harvard Catalyst product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, providing research support services across four pillars: Train (courses and mentoring programs), Connect (collaboration tools including the Profiles networking platform and Catalyst Connect resource compendium), Support (biostatistics and bioinformatics consulting, regulatory guidance, and pilot funding), and Include (community engagement initiatives). The organization operates informatics platforms such as i2b2, SHRINE, and the SMART IRB reliance system to enable cross-institutional and interdisciplinary clinical and translational research.
Product overview
Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, providing a comprehensive platform of research support services organized into four core pillars: Train (courses, mentoring, and training programs), Connect (tools for collaboration including Profiles networking and Catalyst Connect resource compendium), Support (biostatistics and bioinformatics consulting, regulatory guidance, pilot funding), and Include (community engagement initiatives). The core product is Harvard Catalyst Profiles, a research networking platform powered by open-source Profiles Research Networking Software, alongside Catalyst Connect for resource discovery. Major service offerings include the SMART IRB reliance system for multisite studies, Informatics Program with SHRINE and i2b2 tools, Regulatory Foundations program, and Bioinformatics Consulting through the Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Harvard Catalyst Profiles A research networking and expertise discovery platform providing pre-populated researcher profiles with automated publication discovery, automatic creation of social networks, and interactive data visualizations including concept clouds, map views, publication timelines, and radial network views. Used by Harvard faculty and researchers to discover collaborators.
- Catalyst Connect Research resource compendium enabling users to search for links to local research-related resources at Harvard-affiliated institutions, with resources tagged by categories to filter searches.
- Biostatistics Consulting Program Statistical expertise and consultation services for clinical and translational investigators at all stages of research from study design to interpretation and dissemination of study results, provided free of charge to Harvard postdoctoral and faculty investigators.
- Bioinformatics Consulting Bioinformatics consultations covering analysis and planning, grant writing support, and high-throughput data quality checks for microarrays, next-generation sequencing, and functional evaluation of high-throughput data. Provided through the Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core.
- Regulatory Foundations, Ethics, and Law Program Resources supporting researchers to navigate clinical and translational regulatory processes including IRB guidance, clinical trial registration, data safety monitoring, compliance resources, and ethics consultations for human subjects research.
- SMART IRB Reliance System National platform enabling IRB reliance and collaborative research across institutions, allowing single IRB review for multisite studies and reducing the complexity of IRB review processes.
- Informatics Program (i2b2 and SHRINE) Informatics tools including i2b2 for clinical research informatics and SHRINE for cross-institutional health research queries across Harvard-affiliated hospitals, supporting study design, clinical trial collaboration, and data management.
- Pilot Funding Program Seed funding in the form of pilot grants supporting cross-institutional and interdisciplinary collaborative research projects at Harvard-affiliated institutions.
- C/T Research Academy Training programs including First Grant Bootcamp and educational offerings for clinical and translational researchers at Harvard-affiliated institutions.
- Harvard Catalyst On-Demand On-demand educational content and courses for clinical and translational researchers.
- Harvard Catalyst Clinical Research Center (Connector) Research facility and resources supporting clinical and translational research operations across the Harvard community.
Companies that use Harvard Catalyst
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Harvard Catalyst technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Harvard Catalyst partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Harvard Medical SchoolcoreContributing financial support to Harvard Catalyst along with other Harvard affiliated academic healthcare centers.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthcoreContributing financial support and providing bioinformatics expertise through Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core.
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CentercoreAffiliated academic healthcare center contributing to Harvard Catalyst funding and participating in research programs.
- Boston Children's HospitalcoreAffiliated academic healthcare center contributing to Harvard Catalyst funding and participating in research programs.
- Brigham and Women's HospitalcoreAffiliated academic healthcare center contributing to Harvard Catalyst funding and participating in research programs.
- Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreAffiliated academic healthcare center contributing to Harvard Catalyst funding and participating in research programs.
- Massachusetts General HospitalcoreAffiliated academic healthcare center contributing to Harvard Catalyst funding and participating in research programs.
- Harvard Chan Bioinformatics CorecoreProvides bioinformatics consultations, training, workshops and educational programs supported through the Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Harvard Catalyst competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ResearchGate: ResearchGate is a research networking platform for academic scientists. Comparable to Harvard Catalyst Profiles in offering researcher profile discovery and collaboration features, though it operates as a commercial entity serving a broader audience globally.
- Advarra (formerly Schulman IRB): Advarra is a commercial provider of IRB review, IBC review, and research compliance services. Comparable to Harvard Catalyst's SMART IRB and Regulatory Foundations offerings as a provider of IRB infrastructure for multi-site research.
Direct peers
- Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR): Vanderbilt's CTSA-funded VICTR provides translational research support including the well-known REDCap platform. Comparable in scope and as a peer CTSA hub at a major academic medical center with similar service pillars.
- Columbia University Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research: Columbia's CTSA-funded Irving Institute provides clinical and translational research support services in New York. Direct peer with comparable scope including pilot funding, biostatistics, and regulatory support.
- University of Pennsylvania Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT): Penn's ITMAT is one of the original CTSA-funded centers supporting translational science across the Penn medicine ecosystem. Comparable in delivering pilot funding, training programs, biostatistics support, and research infrastructure within a major academic medical center.
- Stanford Spectrum (Stanford CTSA): Stanford's CTSA hub provides translational science infrastructure including pilot funding, regulatory support, and informatics tools. Directly comparable as a CTSA-funded center at a peer elite research university on the West Coast.
- Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR): The Johns Hopkins ICTR is the CTSA-funded hub at Johns Hopkins, providing parallel infrastructure for clinical and translational research including biostatistics, bioinformatics, pilot funding, and research training. Most directly comparable CTSA peer given similar scope, scale, and elite academic medical center anchoring.
- Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): Duke's CTSI is a CTSA-funded translational research hub offering pilot funding, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and regulatory support. Direct peer as a CTSA hub at a major academic medical center.
- UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI): UCSF CTSI is the CTSA-funded hub at UCSF, offering similar services (biostatistics, pilot funding, informatics, regulatory guidance) within a major academic medical center ecosystem. Direct peer in the CTSA consortium.
- University of Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR): Michigan's CTSA-funded MICHR provides translational research infrastructure including pilot funding, training, and research support services. Direct peer within the CTSA consortium with comparable scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Harvard Catalyst social profiles
Digital presenceHarvard Catalyst financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Harvard Catalyst leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Harvard Catalyst funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Harvard Catalyst 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 Harvard Catalyst
What does Harvard Catalyst do?
Harvard Catalyst is Harvard University's Clinical and Translational Science Center, providing research support services across four pillars: Train (courses and mentoring programs), Connect (collaboration tools including the Profiles networking platform and Catalyst Connect resource compendium), Support (biostatistics and bioinformatics consulting, regulatory guidance, and pilot funding), and Include (community engagement initiatives). The organization operates informatics platforms such as i2b2, SHRINE, and the SMART IRB reliance system to enable cross-institutional and interdisciplinary clinical and translational research.
Is Harvard Catalyst a public or private company?
Harvard Catalyst is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Harvard Catalyst founded?
Harvard Catalyst was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Harvard Catalyst based?
Harvard Catalyst is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Harvard Catalyst make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Funding is the primary driver. The others are harvard University and Affiliated Academic Healthcare Centers Contributions.
Who are Harvard Catalyst's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are ResearchGate and Advarra (formerly Schulman IRB). Direct peers are Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR), Columbia University Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, University of Pennsylvania Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT), Stanford Spectrum (Stanford CTSA), Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR), Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), UCSF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and University of Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR).
Does Harvard Catalyst have an API?
No public API is recorded for Harvard Catalyst.
What industry is Harvard Catalyst in?
Harvard Catalyst's product category is Clinical and Translational Research Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEALAO, Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance), with a secondary code of EDALAOAE, Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.