Synapse Research Management Partners

What Synapse Research Management Partners does

Synapse Research Management Partners S.L. is a Spain-based professional services firm founded in 2008 in Barcelona by Carlos Díaz and Eva Molero, specialising in the management of complex biomedical research and development projects conducted under European public-private partnership frameworks (IMI, IHI JU, and Horizon Europe). The firm operates from Madrid (headquarters) and Barcelona, serving academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies (notably the EMA), HTA agencies (e.g., NICE) and patient organisations as the coordinating partner in multi-stakeholder consortia. Its service offering is organised into eight core practices — Strategic Project Management, Project Intelligence, Team Management, Data Management, Legal Management, Finance & Administrative Management, Communication & Dissemination, and Sustainability Planning — and is supported by three proprietary IT tools: the NEURONET Knowledge Base (linking 380+ publications and 350+ deliverables across the IMI neurodegeneration portfolio), the SYNAPSE PI Business Intelligence dashboard for project documentation and KPI tracking, and the ROADMAP Data Cube for interactive 3D visualisation of European Alzheimer's disease cohort data.

The firm's revenue model is professional-services based: SYNAPSE is engaged as a consortium partner or contractor receiving funding allocations from programme budgets, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market combines sales-led direct engagement with academic institutions, pharma and regulators through EU framework calls, supplemented by event-driven activity (CTAD, Alzheimer Europe, OHDSI symposiums) and content marketing through scientific publications and the Manager's Musings blog. To date the firm has participated in 30+ research projects spanning 350+ partners across 25+ countries, managing over €500M in cumulative programme funding — including flagship engagements such as GREG (€26.2M IHI RWE initiative), PROBE (38-partner osteoarthritis programme), VICT3R (EMA-qualifying Virtual Control Groups in toxicology), PROMINENT (neurodegenerative precision medicine), CLAIMS (AI-assisted MS care), ERA4TB (tuberculosis drug development) and READI (clinical-study diversity). The firm is currently operating, with multi-year programmes extending through 2026 and beyond, and ranked as the #1 SME in Europe in the Health domain under Horizon 2020.

Name

Synapse Research Management Partners

Legal name

SYNAPSE RESEARCH MANAGEMENT PARTNERS S.L.

Website

https://synapse-managers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spain-headquartered firm managing complex biomedical public-private partnerships across Europe, providing project management, legal, finance, data and communications services to pharmaceutical, academic, regulatory and HTA clients under IMI, IHI JU and Horizon Europe frameworks, with 30+ active projects and €500M+ in programme funding managed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Project Management Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Biomedical project management
• Public-private partnerships
• Research consortium coordination
• EU research funding services
• Biomedical R&D management

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project Management Services: Professional services revenue generated through providing project management, coordination, and administrative support to public-private partnerships in biomedical research. Services include strategic management, project intelligence, team management, data management, legal management, finance and administrative management, communication and dissemination, and sustainability planning.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Synapse Research Management Partners provides specialized project management services for complex international public-private partnership (PPP) research and development projects in the biomedical sector, primarily funded under EU programmes such as IMI, IHI JU, and Horizon Europe. The company delivers services across eight functional areas — strategic management, project intelligence, team management, data management, legal management, finance and administration, communication and dissemination, and sustainability planning — to academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies, and patient organizations forming research consortia. It complements these services with proprietary IT tools including the NEURONET Knowledge Base, SYNAPSE PI dashboard, and ROADMAP Data Cube.

Product overview

SYNAPSE Research Management Partners provides specialized strategic project management services for the biomedical sector, managing complex public-private partnerships and EU-funded research projects. The company offers a comprehensive suite of professional services organized into eight core offerings: Strategic Management (high-level advisory and stakeholder management), Project Intelligence (monitoring, KPIs, and dashboarding), Team Management (governance and communication optimization), Data Management (data source networks and workflows), Legal Management (IPRs, agreements, and compliance), Finance & Administrative Management (budgeting and reporting), Communication & Dissemination (outreach and stakeholder engagement), and Sustainability Planning (exploitation strategies and stakeholder buy-in). Additionally, SYNAPSE has developed three proprietary IT tools: NEURONET Knowledge Base (a collaboration platform for neurodegeneration research linking publications and deliverables), SYNAPSE PI (a Business Intelligence dashboard for project documentation and metrics), and ROADMAP Data Cube (a 3D interactive visualization tool for Alzheimer's disease cohort data). These services and tools support the management of 30+ research projects involving 350+ partners across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Project Management Services High-level advisory and project management for large international public-private partnerships and EU-funded biomedical research projects. Includes stakeholder management, detection of synergies, project design, vision alignment, conflict resolution, risk and change management. Targeted at academic research consortia, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory bodies.
• Project Intelligence Services Identification of critical paths, definition of procedures and workflows, project monitoring, roles and responsibilities, KPI definition, dashboarding, impact assessment, and knowledge mapping for EU-funded biomedical research consortia.
• Team Management Services Design and coordination of organisational and governance structures, internal communication mechanisms, partner profiling, optimization of work dynamics, meeting organisation, and tailored tools for monitoring team productivity within multi-stakeholder consortia.
• Data Management Services Set up and management of networks of data sources, design of innovative data management processes and workflows, development of customised data flow management tools, and data sharing policies for biomedical research consortia.
• Legal Management Services Advice on legal aspects including governance, confidentiality and IPRs; elaboration and negotiation of multi-stakeholder collaboration agreements; conflict resolution; and production of legal documents (contracts, Consortium Agreements, MTA, CDA, MoU, SFA, LoI, etc.) for biomedical PPP consortia.
• Finance & Administrative Management Services Liaising with sponsors and funding agencies, budget configuration using Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), dynamic scenarios, cost and payment monitoring, management of reserve and contingency funds, effort estimation, reporting, and administrative project support for EU-funded consortia.
• Communication, Dissemination & Outreach Services Definition and execution of communication plans through different channels and tools including websites, social media, and bespoke materials; strategic communication advice and graphic design support for biomedical research consortia.
• Sustainability of Research Results Services Design and development of sustainability scenarios for research projects, planning of commercial exploitation strategies (licensing, M&A, etc.), and coordination of negotiation processes with stakeholders to maximize post-project impact.
• NEURONET Knowledge Base Proprietary IT tool designed and developed by SYNAPSE providing a comprehensive collaboration platform for the IMI neurodegeneration research portfolio, linking over 380 publications and more than 350 publishable deliverable reports to support consortium-wide knowledge sharing.
• SYNAPSE PI (Project Intelligence) Proprietary Business Intelligence dashboard tool that displays key documentation, metrics, and day-to-day project-relevant information at a glance for consortium managers and project leaders.
• ROADMAP Data Cube Proprietary 3D interactive cube visualization tool that allows exploration of the European Alzheimer's disease data landscape, showing how data sources capture relevant AD-related outcomes across disease stages and stakeholder types.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ research projects completed or ongoing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VICT3R Consortium (5 pharmaceutical companies)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026SYNAPSE filed EMA qualification opinion application through VICT3R consortium to replace animal testing with Virtual Control Groups in toxicology studies, representing major milestone for regulatory NAMs adoption.
• Erasmus University Medical Center (The Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Coordinator of the GREG initiative, leading the consortium focused on Real-World Evidence guidance and tools for European decision-making. SYNAPSE provides project management and coordination support.
• Novo Nordisk (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Project Lead of the GREG initiative, contributing to development of RWE framework for regulatory and HTA decision-making.
• Sanofi (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Co-lead of the GREG initiative, providing industry perspective on real-world evidence generation and use.
• University of Oxford (United Kingdom)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025Supporting partner in the GREG initiative, contributing expertise to RWE framework development.
• Aarhus UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in multiple SYNAPSE-managed research consortia.
• AbbViemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner in SYNAPSE-managed public-private partnerships.
• Alzheimer EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatient advocacy organisation partner in neurodegeneration research initiatives.
• BayermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner in SYNAPSE-managed research consortia.
• GSKmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner contributing to ERA4TB tuberculosis research and other projects.
• NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK HTA body partner in SUSTAIN-HTA and other health technology assessment initiatives.
• Charité BerlinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor academic medical centre partner in European research consortia.
• Fraunhofer InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman research organisation partner in SYNAPSE-managed biomedical projects.
• EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partner in IMI and IHI JU public-private partnerships, contributing in-kind support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PNO Consultants: European consultancy providing innovation management, grant writing, and project management services for EU-funded R&D programmes. Highly comparable in supporting public-private partnership consortia across Horizon Europe.
• EURICE - European Research and Project Office GmbH: Germany-based SME offering integrated project management, dissemination, exploitation, and IP services for EU-funded collaborative research projects. Closely comparable to SYNAPSE in mission, service portfolio, and Horizon Europe/IMI focus area.
• ttopstart: Netherlands-based life sciences and medical consulting firm offering strategic, operational, and project management support for biomedical research and EU-funded programmes. Directly comparable in life-sciences PPP focus and project management depth.
• accelopment AG: Swiss SME specialised in professional project management, communication, and dissemination for EU-funded research projects. Directly comparable as a competing SME partner in IMI/IHI JU and Horizon Europe consortia.

Regional players

• EATRIS (European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine): European research infrastructure consortium providing translational medicine project support. Comparable in coordinating multi-country biomedical PPPs, though structurally distinct as a non-profit European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).
• ECRIN (European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network): Pan-European infrastructure providing clinical trial management and coordination services across Europe. Comparable as an EU-level research coordination organisation but operates as a public non-profit infrastructure rather than a commercial SME.

Broad incumbents

• IQVIA: Global clinical research and life sciences consulting powerhouse with real-world evidence and EU public-sector engagement capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent bidding for IHI JU work-packages and large consortium coordination.
• Charles River Associates: Global consulting firm with a Life Sciences practice advising pharmaceutical and biotech clients on strategy, clinical development, and R&D operations. Comparable as a broader life sciences management consultancy that increasingly competes for EU PPP work-package leadership.

Emerging players

• European Vaccine Initiative (EVI): Non-profit coordinating European vaccine R&D public-private partnerships including product development partnerships. Comparable in coordinating multi-stakeholder EU biomedical consortia, though operating as a non-profit rather than for-profit SME.

Others

• Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU): Public-private partnership between the EU and EFPIA members that funds the consortia SYNAPSE manages. Included as the enabling ecosystem/funder rather than a competitor; central to the company's business model and pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInes.linkedin.com/company/synapse-research-management-partners
• Xx.com/synapsemanagers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Synapse Research Management Partners