AICRO

What AICRO does

AICRO (legally AICROplus – Associazione Italiana delle CRO e dei Service Provider per la Ricerca Clinica) is a non-profit professional association founded in Milan in 2004 that represents Italian Contract Research Organizations and clinical research service providers before regulators, industry bodies, and academic institutions. It serves as the unified industry voice for CROs and adjacent service providers (consulting, pharmacovigilance, data management, laboratories, eClinical, logistics) operating in Italy and is the country's representative in EUCROF (European CRO Federation). Member-facing services include institutional representation to the Ministry of Health, AIFA, and the Data Protection Authority, networking, visibility, and membership admission governed by an elected Executive Board.

The association delivers its mandate through four programmatic pillars: (1) MycroScope, the 2022-established training academy offering CRA courses, Learn & Connect webinars on EU-CTR/CTIS and Medical Devices, and a Project Management program; (2) member events including the biennial Menti a Contatto conference, the 65° Simposio AFI, International Clinical Trials Day, and co-organized Master programs with Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma; (3) six thematic Working Groups covering Regulatory Affairs, Legal Affairs, Clinical Trial Centers, New Technologies (including DCT), Study Center & Communication, and a Permanent Roundtable; and (4) the Doppio Cieco podcast launched January 2025 for knowledge dissemination. Underlying technology is not proprietary — the association operates a standard website (aicro.it), social channels, and the podcast — with value concentrated in curated content, working-group outputs, and regulatory access.

AICRO is a member-driven non-profit with no equity, no funding rounds, no M&A, and no parent company; recurring membership dues from 30+ corporate members (including IQVIA, Fortrea, ICON, Parexel, PPD, Syneos, Medpace, Caidya) constitute the primary revenue stream, supplemented by training and event fees. Recent strategic emphasis is on scope expansion (rebrand to AICROplus to include non-CRO service providers), capability formalization (MycroScope and the Doppio Cieco podcast), and regulatory positioning (joint advocacy with ASSOMONITOR and partnerships with FADOI, GIDM, FICOG, SIT, Farmindustria, AFI, and SIMeF).

Name

AICRO

Legal name

AICROplus - Associazione Italiana delle CRO e dei Service Provider per la Ricerca Clinica

Website

https://aicro.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

AICROplus is a Milan-based non-profit association founded in 2004 representing Italian CROs and clinical research service providers; it delivers training (MycroScope), events (Menti a Contatto), working groups, and the Doppio Cieco podcast, and represents Italy in EUCROF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clinical Data Management, Biostatistics & Statistical Programming CROs (HLAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Clinical research association
• CRO professional network
• Clinical trial training
• Contract research organization
• Clinical research education

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: AICRO generates revenue through membership fees from Italian and foreign CROs and clinical research service providers operating in Italy. Members receive benefits including networking, training, visibility, and representation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AICRO is a non-profit professional association representing Italian and international Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and clinical research service providers operating in Italy. Founded in 2004, the association offers membership-based services including professional training through the MycroScope academy, biennial events (Menti a Contatto), thematic working groups on regulatory, legal, and technological matters, and institutional representation before regulatory authorities such as AIFA and the Ministry of Health. AICRO serves as Italy's representative in EUCROF (European CRO Federation).

Product overview

AICRO (Associazione Italiana delle CRO e dei Service Provider per la Ricerca Clinica) is a professional association founded in 2004 representing Contract Research Organizations and clinical research service providers in Italy. The organization offers a unified portfolio of services centered on professional training (MycroScope academy), industry events (including the biennial 'Menti a Contatto' conference), and thematic working groups addressing Clinical Trial Centers, Regulatory Affairs, Legal Affairs, New Technologies, and Study Center Communication. Additionally, AICRO operates the 'Doppio Cieco' podcast for knowledge dissemination and hosts webinars under the Learn & Connect program. The association serves as the Italian representative in EUCROF (European CRO Federation) and collaborates with regulatory authorities including AIFA and the Ministry of Health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MYCROSCOPE: AICRO's training school established in 2022, designed to provide professional development courses focused on Good Clinical Practice standards and clinical research sector topics.
• Doppio Cieco
• Menti a Contatto

Products and services

• MycroScope Training Academy AICRO's professional training school dedicated to Good Clinical Practice standards, offering specialized courses for CRAs (Clinical Research Associates) and clinical research professionals, including financial skills training for clinical managers.
• Learn & Connect Webinar Program MycroScope webinar series focusing on EU-CTR and CTIS, Medical Devices, and other regulatory topics, providing practical knowledge sharing from field experts in an accessible and interactive format.
• Project Management Training Program MycroScope training program focused on project management skills for clinical research professionals.
• Doppio Cieco Podcast AICRO's podcast series exploring clinical research through conversations with field experts, covering roles, stories, and the drug development process for professionals and general audiences.
• Menti a Contatto Biennial Event AICRO's flagship biennial event bringing together clinical research professionals around central themes of interest. The 2024 edition titled 'Coinvolgimento attivo del paziente: un ponte verso la ricerca clinica del futuro' was held simultaneously in Rome and Milan.

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EUCROF (European CRO Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004AICRO is a member of the European CRO Federation, representing Italy. This gives AICRO members the opportunity to join expert working groups, exchange ideas, and collaborate with colleagues across Europe and beyond (currently including Israel, Algeria, and Egypt), and to work directly with EUCROF in consultations with bodies such as EMA and FDA.
• FADOI (Federazione delle Associazioni dei Dirigenti Ospedalieri Internisti)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on a project to quantify Data Manager/Study Coordinator presence in Italian hospitals. FADOI is the Federation of Associations of Hospital Internal Medicine Directors.
• GIDM (Gruppo Italiano Data Manager)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on an initiative to quantify Data Manager/Study Coordinator figures involved in clinical research in Italy. GIDM is the Italian Data Manager Group.
• FICOG (Federation of Italian Cooperative Oncology Groups)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the survey project regarding Data Manager/Study Coordinator presence in Italian clinical research.
• SIT (Società Italiana per la Salute Digitale e la Telemedicina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshop on Decentralized Clinical Trials - 'Studi Clinici Decentralizzati – Esperienze Attuali e Prospettive Future' held in Rome. SIT is the Italian Society for Digital Health and Telemedicine.
• Università Campus Bio-Medico di RomaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UCBM for Master programs in Clinical Research, Open Innovation and Market Access. Organized in collaboration with Farmindustria.
• FarmindustriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Master programs and industry initiatives. Farmindustria represents Italian pharmaceutical companies.
• Lombardy Life Sciences ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in organizing International Clinical Trials Day initiatives in Italy.
• AFI (Associazione Farmaceutica Italiana)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizers of the AFI Symposium and International Clinical Trials Day events.
• SIMeF (Società Italiana di Medicina Farmacologica)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on congresses and events for clinical research professionals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• SIMeF (Società Italiana di Medicina Farmacologica): Italian scientific society in clinical pharmacology and pharmacological research. Comparable as an Italian association serving clinical research professionals and co-organizing events with AICRO, but with a medical/scientific rather than industry/CRO focus.
• CCRA (Clinical Contract Research Association): UK-based CRO industry association. Comparable in mission (representing CROs, training, advocacy) but operating in the UK market rather than Italy.
• AFCROs (Association Française des CRO et Sociétés de Services): French CRO industry association and fellow EUCROF member. Highly comparable in structure and mission but serving the French market.
• AFI (Associazione Farmaceutica Italiana): Italian pharmaceutical industry association that co-organizes events with AICRO (e.g., AFI Symposium). Comparable as a domestic Italian life-sciences industry association but focused on pharma manufacturers rather than CROs.
• BARQA (Belgian Association of CROs and SMO): Belgian counterpart of AICRO as a national CRO association. Closely comparable in mission and structure but serving a different national market; both are members of EUCROF.
• PHARMIG (Pharmig – Association of the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry): Austrian pharmaceutical industry association, an EUCROF counterpart. Comparable membership-association model but serving pharma manufacturers rather than CROs specifically.

Emerging players

• SCRS (Society for Clinical Research Sites): Global trade organization representing clinical research sites. Adjacent peer in the clinical research ecosystem — AICRO represents CROs while SCRS represents sites — with comparable membership-association structure and similar advocacy/training missions.

Broad incumbents

• DIA (Drug Information Association): Global professional membership association for life sciences, drug development, and clinical research. Comparable in serving clinical research professionals and offering training/events, but with a much broader drug-development scope and global footprint.
• ACRO (Association of Clinical Research Organizations): US-based trade association representing global CROs; comparable model (CRO-focused industry association with regulatory advocacy) but operating at a much larger geographic and membership scale.

Direct peers

• EUCROF (European CRO Federation): European-level federation of national CRO associations; AICRO is itself a member. Directly comparable as a peer association serving the same category of members (CROs) but at the continental level rather than country level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@aicro4364
• Facebookfacebook.com/aicroassociazioneitalianacro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aicro/posts
• Instagraminstagram.com/aicro.it

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 AICRO