Centre for Substance Use Research

What Centre for Substance Use Research does

Centre for Substance Use Research Ltd (CSUR) is a Glasgow-based, privately held research consultancy founded in 1994 and operating independently since its 2011 spin-off from the University of Glasgow. The firm employs approximately 12 staff and is led by Founding Director Neil McKeganey, Co-Directors Marina Barnard and Gabriel Barnard, with a senior bench that includes a Principal Scientist recruited from SMOORE, a Chief Statistician, a Head of Prevalence Research, and a Head of Tobacco Regulatory Modelling.

CSUR provides behavioural-science research services to tobacco and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) manufacturers seeking regulatory authorisation for novel products. Its core offerings span four service lines: Research Programme Design, Analytical Services, Presentation of Research Findings, and Regulatory Submission support for PMTA (Pre-Market Tobacco Authorisation), MRTP (Modified Risk Tobacco Product), and TPD (Tobacco Products Directive) pathways. The firm also operates two recurring research products: the Tobacco Product Prevalence Study, an annual cross-sectional survey tracking 20+ ENDS brands and 215+ devices in the United States, and The Big Vape Survey UK, an annual comparative assessment of nine top-selling UK ENDS devices.

The firm operates a professional-services, sales-led model, generating revenue through direct engagement with enterprise clients including JUUL Labs, British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Fontem Ventures, and Nicoventures, supplemented by funded research from the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. CSUR markets itself through peer-reviewed academic publications, FDA regulatory-body engagement, conference presentations, and direct professional networks rather than traditional demand-generation channels. It has produced over 200 peer-reviewed academic papers and received the 2023 Acquisition International "Most Innovative Public Health Research Group" award in the UK.

Name

Centre for Substance Use Research

Legal name

Centre for Substance Use Research Ltd

Website

https://csures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre for Substance Use Research is a Glasgow-based behavioural-science research consultancy providing PMTA, MRTP, and TPD regulatory submission support to tobacco and ENDS manufacturers including JUUL Labs, BAT, and Imperial Brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tobacco and ENDS Regulatory Science Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAOAM

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health Initiatives & Partnerships

Keywords

• Behavioural science research
• Tobacco regulatory science
• PMTA research support
• ENDS research services
• Substance use research

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Regulatory Research Services: CSUR generates revenue by providing behavioural science research services to tobacco and ENDS manufacturers seeking regulatory approval through PMTA, MRTP, and TPD pathways. Services include research programme design, analytical services, presentation of research findings, and regulatory submission support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) is a specialist behavioural science research consultancy that designs, executes, and analyses large-scale studies for tobacco and ENDS manufacturers seeking regulatory approval (PMTA, MRTP, TPD). Its four core service lines are Research Programme Design, Analytical Services, Presentation of Research Findings, and Regulatory Submission support. CSUR also operates flagship recurring research products including the Tobacco Product Prevalence Study (TPPS) in the United States and The Big Vape Survey in the United Kingdom.

Product overview

Centre for Substance Use Research (CSUR) is a specialist research agency providing behavioural science consultancy services to companies seeking regulatory approval for ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) and tobacco products. The company operates a service-based model with four core offerings: Research Programme Design, Analytical Services, Presentation of Research Findings, and Regulatory Submission. CSUR's flagship research products include the Tobacco Product Prevalence Study (TPPS) tracking 20+ ENDS brands and 215+ devices across the United States, and The Big Vape Survey UK comparing top-selling ENDS devices. The company also provides client-specific research support for PMTA, MRTP, and TPD regulatory submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Programme Design Full-service research programme design for tobacco and ENDS manufacturers, encompassing conceptual development, research documentation creation, IRB approval attainment, data collection using probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling, and data analysis using statistical software.
• Analytical Services Quantitative and qualitative analytical services including large-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, statistical modelling, data weighting, and qualitative analysis of interview, focus group, textual, and observational data using SPSS, SAS, R, Python, and STATA.
• Presentation of Research Findings Specialist presentation of behavioural science research findings via multimedia events, peer-reviewed publications, and deliverables tailored for tobacco and ENDS industry audiences and regulatory submissions.
• Regulatory Submission Expertise in PMTA and MRTP application behavioural research requirements, post-market surveillance, and FDA regulatory submission support, including direct liaison with FDA/CDC on research design alignment.
• Tobacco Product Prevalence Study (TPPS) Annual cross-sectional survey providing estimates of prevalence of use for over 20 ENDS brands and 215+ individual ENDS devices in the United States, with data suitable for FDA PMTA submissions.
• The Big Vape Survey UK Annual comparative assessment of real-world ENDS use, comparing 9 top ENDS devices on sale in the UK to assess relative rates at which devices enable adult smokers to quit and reduce cigarette consumption.

Quantifiable outcome

• Studies demonstrated that significant percentage of Imperial Brands blu vape users reduced or stopped cigarette smoking after one week and six months, with average cigarette reduction of nearly 30%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PPD (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Global CRO providing clinical development and regulatory consulting across therapeutic areas. PPD's regulatory services division addresses FDA submission work relevant to CSUR's nicotine/tobacco harm reduction clients.
• ICON plc: Major global CRO offering clinical and regulatory consulting across therapeutic areas. ICON's regulatory and scientific advisory functions overlap with the kind of submission-grade research CSUR delivers for tobacco and ENDS clients.
• IQVIA: Large global CRO with regulatory affairs, real-world evidence, and behavioural science capabilities that, while serving multiple therapeutic areas, is increasingly active in tobacco/ENDS regulatory submissions and competes for the same enterprise research budgets.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO providing preclinical, clinical, and regulatory support across pharma, biotech, and consumer health. Charles River's regulatory and consulting services address adjacent FDA submission work relevant to CSUR's client base.
• LabCorp Drug Development (formerly Covance): Global CRO offering clinical trial services, regulatory consulting, and real-world evidence. LabCorp Drug Development's regulatory affairs function competes for the same PMTA/MRTP submission budgets as CSUR.

Others

• RTI International: Independent non-profit research institute with a substantial public-health research practice. RTI's behavioural and health-services research programmes serve similar government and regulatory clients but through a non-commercial mission-driven model.

Direct peers

• Rose Research Center: Independent clinical research organisation in Texas specialising in tobacco harm reduction and ENDS studies. Rose Research Center conducts behavioural and clinical research supporting PMTA submissions, making it a close functional peer to CSUR.
• Pinney Associates: US-based regulatory science consultancy focused on tobacco, nicotine, and caffeine products. Pinney Associates provides PMTA/MRTP behavioural and clinical research support to manufacturers, directly mirroring CSUR's core offering and client base.

Emerging players

• Alturas Analytics: Specialised bioanalytical and contract research laboratory with active work in nicotine and tobacco-related product testing. Alturas offers complementary laboratory-grade services to CSUR's behavioural research focus.
• Celerion: Mid-sized clinical research organisation with deep experience in early-phase clinical pharmacology and tobacco harm reduction studies. Celerion is an emerging alternative to CSUR for behavioural and clinical regulatory science work in ENDS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/csures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 Centre for Substance Use Research