What Reading Scientific Service does

Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL) is a UK-based Contract Research Organisation operating across two regulated sites in Reading and Wokingham, providing analytical testing, research, product development and training services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and consumer goods companies in 60+ countries. The company serves more than 3,000 clients through three integrated business units: Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals (GMP-compliant pharmacopoeial testing, release testing, ICH stability studies, contamination and impurity testing, microbiology, biologics and cell/gene therapy testing across preclinical through commercialization); Food & Consumer Goods (food safety, nutritional testing, allergen management, ingredient research, regulatory submissions, packaging testing, contamination investigation and product reformulation); and Training & Consultancy (Qualified Person programmes, GMP/GDP/Responsible Person training, auditing career paths, biotechnology & ATMP training and eLearning).

RSSL's technology stack centers on UKAS-accredited (No. 1216, BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017) laboratories with MHRA GMP Compliance for human and veterinary medicinal products at both sites and FDA contract testing laboratory classification. Proprietary capabilities include an Innovation Hub supporting biotech start-ups through four service models, a Rapid Mycoplasma screening service for biologics and cell therapies, and a Priority Response emergency service that has resolved more than 15,000 urgent incidents. The 2023 Knight Building added 26,000 sq ft of analytical capacity including a dedicated cell and gene therapy laboratory. Differentiation rests on regulatory accreditation depth, scientific talent (300+ scientists and consultants from 23 nationalities), and proprietary methodologies such as quantitative allergen risk assessment.

Commercially, RSSL operates a professional services model with quote-based pricing through dedicated sales teams per business unit (Life Sciences, Food & Consumer Goods, Training). Distribution is direct enterprise field sales globally, supplemented by the My RSSL portal for sample submission (launched October 2024) and channel partnerships including MOAT (Ireland training delivery). RSSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mondelez International, providing corporate financial backing, sustainability frameworks and group compliance programs. Recent strategic activity centers on the September 2025 ERBC partnership (integrated preclinical-to-commercial drug development support) and the July 2025 MOAT partnership (Ireland training expansion), alongside a stated workforce expansion from 350 to over 500 by 2026. The company has earned consistent industry recognition including Best CRO at the OBN Awards (2019, 2022), Best Performing Professional Services Company at the ON Awards (2025), and multiple Scientist of the Year honors.

Name

Reading Scientific Service

Legal name

Reading Scientific Services Ltd

Website

https://rssl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Reading Scientific Services (RSSL) is a UK-based Contract Research Organisation providing GMP-compliant analytical testing, regulatory consultancy and training services to 3,000+ pharmaceutical, biotech, food and consumer goods clients across 60+ countries from UKAS/MHRA-accredited laboratories in Reading and Wokingham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research / Analytical Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulatory Consulting & Compliance Program Management (FDA/USDA/EFSA) (AFALADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training & Competency Programs (HACCP, PCQI, GMP) (AFALADAK), Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH), Regulatory Submissions, Registrations & Facility Approvals (FDA/USDA/EU) (AFALADAD), Recall Readiness, Crisis Management & Regulatory Liaison (AFALADAG)

Keywords

• Analytical testing services
• Contract research organization
• Pharmaceutical testing services
• Food safety testing
• GMP compliance testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Analytical Testing Services: GMP-compliant pharmacopoeial testing, release testing, stability testing, and cell and gene therapy testing for pharmaceutical and biotech companies across all phases of clinical development through to commercial release.
2. Food & Consumer Goods Testing Services: Analytical testing, nutritional testing, allergen management, contamination testing, packaging testing, regulatory submissions and novel foods services for food and beverage companies.
3. Training & Consultancy Services: Pharmaceutical training programmes including Qualified Person training, Auditing career path, GDP & Responsible Person training, GMP, Biotechnology & ATMPs, Microbiology, Validation, and Medical Devices courses. Also food allergen training.
4. Consultancy Services: Expert consultancy in food safety, quality management, regulatory affairs, and technical problem solving for clients across food and pharmaceutical sectors.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RSSL is a Contract Research Organisation providing GMP-compliant analytical testing, research, and regulatory consultancy services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, beverage and consumer goods clients. Its offering spans pharmacopoeial, stability, contamination, microbiology, mycoplasma and cell/gene therapy testing for drug developers, alongside food safety, nutritional, allergen, packaging and novel foods testing for food manufacturers. The company also delivers structured professional training (Qualified Person, GMP, GDP, auditing) and a 24/7 Priority Response emergency analytical service.

Product overview

RSSL operates as a Contract Research Organisation offering a comprehensive portfolio of analytical testing, research, and consultancy services organised into three core divisions: Life Science & Pharmaceuticals (spanning biologics, cell/gene therapy, small molecules, vaccines, and veterinary medicines across preclinical, clinical, and commercial phases), Food & Consumer Goods (covering food safety, nutritional testing, ingredient research, regulatory submissions, and product development), and Training & Consultancy (including Qualified Person programmes, GMP/GDP training, and auditing courses). The service offering includes specialist capabilities such as the Priority Response emergency service, Pharmacopeial Testing, ICH Stability Studies, Microbiology Testing, Innovation Hub for biotech startups, Rapid Mycoplasma Testing, and Nutritional Testing backed by £1.2m investment. All services are delivered through UKAS-accredited laboratories at Reading and Wokingham sites, with customer access via the My RSSL portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Science & Pharmaceuticals Services Comprehensive analytical and testing services for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients across preclinical, clinical, manufacturing and commercialisation phases, covering small molecules, biologics, cell and gene therapies, vaccines, consumer healthcare and veterinary medicines.
• Food & Consumer Goods Services Analytical testing, research, regulatory and consultancy services for food, beverages, ingredients, consumer goods, food service, specialised nutrition, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements, covering safety, quality, nutritional, allergen, packaging and novel foods testing.
• Training & Consultancy Structured pharmaceutical and food industry training programmes including Qualified Person career path, Auditing career path, Responsible Person/GDP, GMP, Biotechnology and ATMPs, Microbiology, Validation, Quality Management Systems and Medical Devices, delivered via public courses, eLearning and in-house training.
• Priority Response Service 24/7 emergency analytical and contamination investigation service for pharmaceutical and food clients with urgent needs, having resolved more than 15,000 emergency incidents including risk assessment of contaminants and potential counterfeit cases.
• Innovation Hub Support service for small and medium-sized biotech start-ups guiding them from concept to commercialisation through four distinct service models combining analytical, regulatory and consultancy expertise.
• Rapid Mycoplasma Testing Service Fast, compliant and sensitive Mycoplasma screening and detection service for biologics and cell therapy products in the pharmaceutical industry.
• Nutritional Testing Service Dedicated nutritional analysis service backed by £1.2m investment covering food and consumer goods clients.
• My RSSL Portal Online customer portal enabling clients to submit samples electronically, receive proposals with unique identifiers and track project status and results.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net Promoter Score of 68 - well above competitors like Eurofins Scientific and SGS
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ERBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025RSSL and ERBC announced a strategic partnership designed to deliver integrated, end-to-end drug development support for pharmaceutical and biotech clients worldwide. The collaboration unites ERBC's excellence in preclinical safety, toxicology, and regulatory science with RSSL's industry-leading GMP analytical capabilities and regulatory consultancy. Together they have more than 750 scientists across 10 European sites.
• MOATcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025RSSL and MOAT partnered to expand access to industry-leading pharmaceutical training across Ireland. The collaboration brings together RSSL's 30+ years of training excellence with MOAT's decade of experience supporting Irish life science organisations through operational change, regulatory readiness and performance optimisation. First courses launched in Ireland (Trim, Knightsbrook Hotel) for GMP Essentials, GDP Essentials, and GMP Internal Auditor training.
• Dogs for GoodminorOthersRSSL is proud to partner with Dogs for Good, a charity that transforms lives by training assistance dogs to support children and adults living with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism and dementia. RSSL sponsors trainee assistance dogs including Monty, Ajax and Ludo from puppy through graduation to their forever homes.
• Mondelez InternationalcoreOthersRSSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mondelez International (MDLZ), the US food company. This structure provides financial and organisational strength to operate globally while maintaining agility. RSSL benefits from MDLZ's sustainability initiatives, policies, and corporate programmes including employee groups for diversity and inclusion.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Intertek: Intertek provides total quality assurance including food testing, pharmaceutical services, and consumer goods laboratory work. Its analytical testing portfolio, particularly in food safety and pharmaceutical quality, is closely comparable to RSSL's offering.
• SGS Société Générale de Surveillance: SGS operates a global network of testing, inspection, and certification laboratories including food and life sciences divisions. It overlaps directly with RSSL across pharmaceutical and food testing and is the second peer-comparison point in RSSL's NPS benchmark.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global leader in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental testing services with a broad lab network. It is the most direct competitor to RSSL's food safety, allergen, and pharmaceutical analytical testing business, and is explicitly referenced by RSSL as an NPS benchmark.
• ALS Global: ALS Global offers pharmaceutical, food, and environmental analytical testing services across multiple geographies. Its food/pharma testing division directly mirrors RSSL's laboratory services and serves similar enterprise clients.
• Mérieux NutriSciences: Mérieux NutriSciences is a global food testing, labelling, and regulatory consultancy business. It is highly comparable to RSSL's Food & Consumer Goods division, including nutritional testing, contaminant screening, and regulatory submission support for novel foods.

Broad incumbents

• Labcorp Drug Development (Covance): Labcorp / Covance offers end-to-end CRO services spanning early development through commercialisation, including central laboratory and analytical services. It represents a much larger incumbent competing for the same pharmaceutical analytical testing wallet as RSSL.
• Reading-based Biotech Analytical Services (e.g., Lonza Biologics): Lonza is a global CDMO with biologics and cell/gene therapy manufacturing and testing capabilities. It overlaps with RSSL's GMP analytical and ATMP testing services, particularly for clients needing integrated development and analytical support.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a large, publicly traded CRO with extensive GMP analytical, biologics, and preclinical capabilities. While broader in scope and scale than RSSL, it overlaps in pharmaceutical analytical testing, biologics testing, and cell/gene therapy services that RSSL has built in the Knight Building.
• Element Materials Testing: Element provides testing, inspection, and certification across life sciences, food, and consumer products. While broader than RSSL, its life-sciences testing segment is materially comparable, particularly around contamination and impurity testing.

Emerging players

• BioAgilytix Labs: BioAgilytix is a specialised bioanalytical and biomarker testing CRO focused on large-molecule biologics. Its specialised biologics analytical testing offering is comparable to RSSL's biologics and cell/gene therapy testing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYdUuhi6CEaonvNWQtR02pw
• Facebookfacebook.com/readingscientificservicesltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reading-scientific-services-ltd-rssl
• Xx.com/rssltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Reading Scientific Service