What Controlled Release Society does

Controlled Release Society (CRS), founded in 1978, is an international non-profit professional membership organization dedicated to advancing the science, technology, and education of controlled release and drug delivery. It is incorporated in Ohio as a 501(c)(3) entity and operationally headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where it is professionally managed by Association Headquarters. Its core offerings are the Journal of Controlled Release (Impact Factor 11.467) published with Elsevier and Drug Delivery and Translational Research published with Springer, the CRS Advances in Delivery Science and Technology book series, the rotating Annual Meeting & Exposition (CRS 2026 scheduled for Lisbon, Portugal), seven scientific Focus Groups (Bioengineering, Gene Delivery/Editing, Immuno Delivery, Nanomedicine, Ocular, Oral, Skin/Mucosal), the CRS Diversified Products division, regional chapters, the Young Scientist Committee, the Women in Science program, the StreamCRS streaming platform, and 15+ named awards including the Founders Award, Young Investigator Award, and a 300+ member College of Fellows.

CRS monetizes through tiered individual membership dues ranging from $59 (Emeritus) to $199 (Individual professional), $79 Post-Doc and Young Industry Professional tiers, $69 Student membership, a customizable Corporate Membership program launched in 2019 that includes enterprise participants such as MSD, Sanofi, Roche, and Catalent Pharma Solutions, Annual Meeting registration fees, journal subscription income through publishing partnerships, industry sponsorships, foundation contributions to the CRS Foundation (which funds student travel grants), and a Sponsored Membership program with a 50% discount for low-middle-income country residents.

Go-to-market is hybrid and community-led: a self-serve online portal and member directory drive individual acquisition and renewal; the Annual Meeting, regional chapters, and Focus Groups drive mid-funnel engagement; and the Industry Advisory Group, Industry Foresight Council, and direct sales team under Industry Relations Manager Amanda Bray drive enterprise corporate membership revenue. The membership base spans academic researchers, students and post-docs, industry professionals in pharma, biotech, medical technology, and consumer products, and government/regulatory professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Name

Controlled Release Society

Legal name

Controlled Release Society, Inc.

Website

https://controlledreleasesociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Controlled Release Society is an international non-profit professional membership organization that advances drug delivery and controlled release science through peer-reviewed journals, a global annual meeting, focus groups, and awards, serving academic researchers, industry professionals, students, and government scientists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Laurel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual members including students, post-docs, professionals, and emeritus members, with tiered pricing from $69 to $199 per year
2. Annual Meeting & Exposition: Registration fees for the annual scientific meeting and exposition
3. Journal Publications: Journal of Controlled Release (discounted subscription for members) and Drug Delivery and Translational Research (free online subscription for members)
4. Corporate Membership: Corporate membership program launched in 2019 with customizable benefits for organizations in the drug delivery industry
5. Sponsorships: Industry sponsorship opportunities including student travel grant programs and foundation contributions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Controlled Release Society (CRS) is an international non-profit professional society that delivers value through tiered individual and corporate memberships, peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Controlled Release, Drug Delivery and Translational Research), a Springer co-published book series, an annual scientific meeting and exposition, specialized focus groups, awards programs, and foundation-funded student travel grants. Its offerings serve scientists, engineers, and industry professionals working in controlled release and drug delivery science and technology.

Product overview

The Controlled Release Society (CRS) is a professional membership organization, not a software product company. Its core offerings include two official peer-reviewed journals (Journal of Controlled Release and Drug Delivery and Translational Research), the CRS Advances in Delivery Science and Technology Book Series published with Springer, the annual CRS Meeting & Exposition, CRS Inside Track newsletter, and StreamCRS streaming service. CRS also facilitates professional development through Focus Groups (Bioengineering, Gene Delivery, Immuno Delivery, Nanomedicine, Ocular Delivery, Oral Delivery, Skin/Mucosal Delivery), an Awards Program recognizing outstanding contributions to delivery science, the CRS Foundation providing student travel grants, a Career Center job board, and various membership tiers (Individual, Post-Doc, Student, Emeritus, Corporate, Young Industry Professional).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal of Controlled Release Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing high-quality research in delivery science and technology, including drug delivery systems, formulations, and release mechanisms. Targeted at CRS members and the global drug delivery research community; impact factor 11.467.
• Drug Delivery and Translational Research Peer-reviewed journal exclusively focused on translational aspects of drug delivery research, published six times per year. Provided free online to CRS members as part of annual membership dues.
• CRS Advances in Delivery Science and Technology Book Series Multi-title book series published in partnership with Springer covering topics in controlled release drug delivery including oral delivery, pulmonary delivery, nanomedicine, vaccines, and targeted drug delivery. CRS members receive a 25% discount.
• CRS Annual Meeting & Exposition Annual scientific conference and exposition bringing together CRS members and industry professionals for knowledge exchange in delivery science and technology. Rotates globally; CRS 2026 will be held July 6-9, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.
• CRS Corporate Membership Program Organizational membership program launched in 2019 with customizable benefits for pharmaceutical, biotech, and drug delivery companies. Corporate members include MSD, Sanofi, Roche, and Catalent Pharma Solutions.
• CRS Individual Memberships Tiered individual memberships for delivery science professionals, post-doctoral fellows, young industry professionals, students, and emeritus members. Annual dues range from $59 to $199 with a 50% regional discount available for low-middle-income country residents.
• CRS Awards Program Annual recognition program featuring 15+ named awards honoring outstanding contributions to delivery science and technology, including the Founders Award, Young Investigator Award, Women in Science Award, Distinguished Service Award, and multiple paper and thesis awards.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Association HeadquarterscoreOthersAssociation Headquarters is the professional association management company that manages CRS operations. Described as a charter accredited association management company providing administrative, membership, and meeting management services.
• MSDmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSD is a pharmaceutical company participating in the CRS Corporate Membership Program, providing support for the society's mission and networking opportunities within the drug delivery industry
• SanofimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanofi is a pharmaceutical company participating in the CRS Corporate Membership Program, supporting the advancement of delivery science and technology
• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoche is a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company participating in the CRS Corporate Membership Program, engaging with the drug delivery and controlled release community
• Catalent Pharma SolutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalent Pharma Solutions participates in the corporate membership program. Cornell Stamoran, VP at Catalent, provided a testimonial endorsing the corporate membership program
• ElseviercoreTechnology or IntegrationElsevier publishes the Journal of Controlled Release and provides the Jorge Heller Journal of Controlled Release Outstanding Paper Award, co-sponsored with CRS
• SpringercoreTechnology or IntegrationSpringer co-sponsors the Drug Delivery and Translational Research Journal Outstanding Paper Award and publishes the CRS Advances in Delivery Science and Technology book series with CRS member discounts

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization): BIO is the largest U.S. trade association representing the biotechnology industry, with a major annual convention (BIO International Convention), industry policy advocacy, and corporate membership. Comparable non-profit association with corporate-member-driven revenue, though BIO is industry/trade-focused and serves the broader biotech ecosystem that CRS's industry members operate within.
• International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE): ISPE is a global non-profit association for pharmaceutical engineering and manufacturing professionals, with a major annual meeting, training programs, and corporate membership revenue from pharma manufacturers. Comparable non-profit society model serving pharma industry, though focused on engineering/manufacturing rather than delivery science.
• International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP): FIP is a global umbrella organization for national pharmaceutical associations and pharmaceutical scientists, with congresses, working groups, and publications serving a much broader scope than CRS. Comparable as a globally chartered scientific/professional society with annual events and member-driven structure, though FIP spans all of pharmacy practice while CRS is narrowly focused on delivery science.
• American Chemical Society (ACS): ACS is the world's largest scientific society for chemistry professionals, publishing dozens of high-impact journals (including some covering drug delivery and pharmaceutical chemistry) and hosting large national meetings. Comparable society structure with journals, meetings, awards, and divisions; ACS is vastly larger and broader than CRS but covers much of the underlying chemistry that CRS's delivery science community builds upon.

Direct peers

• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS): AAPS is the closest direct peer: a U.S.-based international professional society serving pharmaceutical scientists across industry, academia, and government, with a major annual meeting (PharmSci 360), peer-reviewed journals (AAPS Journal, Pharmaceutical Research), focus groups, and corporate sponsorship. Highly comparable membership-society operating model to CRS in the broader pharmaceutical sciences space.
• American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET): ASPET is a U.S. scientific society publishing leading pharmacology journals (e.g., Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Molecular Pharmacology) and hosting an annual meeting. Comparable as a U.S.-headquartered non-profit scientific society with journals, annual meeting, awards, and member-driven governance serving pharmacology research — overlapping with CRS's drug delivery/translational research audience.
• Drug Information Association (DIA): DIA is a neutral, global, member-driven professional society serving life sciences professionals across the drug development lifecycle, with a major annual meeting, working groups, and corporate membership. Comparable membership-society operating model serving pharmaceutical R&D professionals, including substantial content overlap in drug delivery and translational research.
• Parenteral Drug Association (PDA): PDA is a non-profit professional association serving the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing community, with conferences, technical reports, training, and industry member programs. Closely comparable non-profit society structure serving pharma industry professionals with technical content, conferences, and corporate membership.

Regional players

• European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences (EUFEPS): EUFEPS is the European umbrella organization for pharmaceutical sciences, coordinating national societies and conferences across Europe. Comparable as a scientific society serving pharmaceutical scientists and providing networking/publication venues, primarily in the European geography versus CRS's global North America-centered base.

Emerging players

• Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS): RAPS is a global professional society for regulatory affairs professionals in healthcare products, with annual meetings, training, certifications, and corporate membership. Comparable society operating model serving pharma/biotech professionals, with thematic overlap in regulatory science which is one of CRS's stated member use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crsscience
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/controlled-release-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Controlled Release Society