Complex Carbohydrate Research Center

What Complex Carbohydrate Research Center does

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) is a University of Georgia research center founded in September 1985 to advance understanding of complex carbohydrate structures and functions, occupying a purpose-built 140,000 sq. ft. facility in Athens, Georgia with 22 tenure-track faculty and over 300 total personnel. It operates as a designated national resource housing advanced instrumentation including 300, 500, four 600-MHz, 800-MHz, 900-MHz, and 1.1 GHz NMR spectrometers, an Orbitrap/ion-mobility/MALDI mass spectrometry suite, high-field NMR for biomolecular studies, chromatography, and computational tools such as GLYCAM molecular modeling, GRITS glycomics software, and the GlyGen database. The CCRC runs fee-for-service analytical and training programs in glycomics, glycoproteomics, and polysaccharide characterization for academic, government, and industrial clients; the Service Synthesis Laboratory (Boons Group) provides custom oligosaccharide and glycoconjugate synthesis for pharmaceutical and biological research; and the newly launched CCRC Create Lab offers 3D printing and CNC prototyping. Revenue derives primarily from approximately $15 million in annual federal, state, industrial, and foundation research funding — recently augmented by a $14M DOE renewal of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (April 2025) and an $18M NSF BioFoundry:GREAT award (2024) — supplemented by service fees, training course registrations, custom synthesis contracts, and Create Lab project fees, with distribution via direct sample submission, online scheduling portals for the Network for Advanced NMR (NAN), the NIH-funded National Glycoscience Resource (NGlycoR), and the GlycoMIP Materials Innovation Platform. Customer segments span academic researchers, federal scientists (USDA, NIH, DOE), biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and the bioenergy industry, served through the Analytical Services Laboratory, training workshops, and an annual Glycoscience Symposium.

Name

Complex Carbohydrate Research Center

Legal name

Complex Carbohydrate Research Center – University of Georgia

Website

https://ccrc.uga.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) is a University of Georgia research center providing advanced NMR, mass spectrometry, glycomics, and custom synthesis services to academic, government, and pharmaceutical clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbohydrate Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Central Laboratory Services (Core Lab Operations) (HLAGAEAA), CMC & Pharmaceutical Development (Formulation/Process/Analytical Development) (HLAIALAD), Laboratory Quality & GLP/GCLP Compliance (HLAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Carbohydrate research services
• Glycoscience analytical services
• NMR spectroscopy services
• Custom synthesis services
• Biomolecular training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: The CCRC receives approximately $15 million annually in research funds from federal agencies including the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Georgia Research Alliance to support its research programs and operations.
2. Analytical Services: Fee-for-service analytical testing and characterization of complex carbohydrates for external academic, government, industrial, and international clients. Services include NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and chromatography analyses.
3. Training Course Fees: Revenue from hands-on analytical training courses including polysaccharides analysis, glycoproteins/glycolipids characterization, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) analysis, and mass spectrometry data interpretation.
4. Custom Synthesis Services: The Service Synthesis Laboratory offers custom synthesis of oligosaccharides, glycoconjugates, and related compounds for academic and industrial laboratories, including small (mg) and large (multigram) quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) at the University of Georgia provides analytical services, custom synthesis, training, and research resources focused on complex carbohydrates and glycoconjugates. It operates advanced NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and computational glycobiology platforms (including the GLYCAM modeling tool) to support academic, government, and industrial clients engaged in carbohydrate-related research. The center was founded in 1985 and is staffed by approximately 300 personnel, including 22 tenure-track faculty.

Product overview

The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC) is a research center at the University of Georgia that provides a portfolio of analytical and research services rather than a unified commercial product. Its core offerings include Analytical Services for carbohydrate structural characterization (glycomics, glycoproteomics, polysaccharides), NMR Spectroscopy Services with high-field instrumentation, Training Programs for workforce development in glycoscience, and the CCRC Create Lab for scientific 3D modeling and prototyping. The Service Synthesis Laboratory offers custom oligosaccharide synthesis for pharmaceutical research. Supporting research resources include the GlyGen database, GRITS Toolbox, and National Glycoscience Resource. The center organizes the annual Glycoscience Symposium for professional education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analytical Services
• Custom Synthesis
• Training Programs
• GLYCAM Computational Modeling

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Network for Advanced NMR (NAN)coreTechnology or IntegrationNAN links the Universities of Georgia, Connecticut, and Wisconsin to make applications of high-field NMR instrumentation easier and more productive for biomedicine, materials science, and chemistry. It includes 1.1 GHz NMR spectrometers for solution-state (at CCRC UGA) and solid-state (Madison WI), with an online portal for resource discovery, scheduling, and remote access. Funded by NSF Award 1946970.
• GlycoMIP - NSF Materials Innovation PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn NSF Materials Innovation Platform focused on glycoscience research infrastructure and methodology development.
• The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-led by University of Georgia researchers, CBI accelerates domestication of bioenergy-relevant plants and microbes to enable high-impact, value-added, co-product development. CCRC faculty are members working on creating robust, high-yielding feedstock plants using genetic technology and bioengineering.
• GlyGencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn international project funded by the National Institutes of Health that facilitates glycoscience research by integrating diverse types of information including glycomics, genomics, proteomics, cell biology, developmental biology and biochemistry.
• BioFoundry:GREATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF awarded $18M to initiate the BioFoundry: Glycoscience Resources, Education, and Training (BioF:GREAT) Program, which will provide more glycoscience tools at the research bench, source material in the classroom, training in mentorship and analytical techniques, and glycoscience education to more learning communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Center for Functional Glycomics (NCFG): Located at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess, NCFG is another NIH-funded national resource for functional glycomics and glycan array analysis. It is the closest direct comparable to CCRC's Analytical Services mission and competes for similar federal resources and clients.
• Imperial College London - Glycosciences Laboratory: The Imperial College Glycosciences Laboratory provides analytical services, training, and research in carbohydrate chemistry with a similar service-and-training model to CCRC. Long-established leader in glycoscience with comparable academic-industry mix.
• Leiden University Medical Center - Glycomics Center: LUMC's Center for Proteomics and Glycomics is one of Europe's leading analytical glycomics facilities, offering mass spectrometry-based glycan profiling services to academic and pharma clients. Comparable service portfolio and research mission to CCRC, with a regional rather than U.S. national focus.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies: RPI's CBIS houses glycoscience research programs focused on carbohydrate structure and glycan analysis, with shared analytical service capabilities. Comparable university-based glycoscience research and training environment to CCRC.

Emerging players

• New England Biolabs: NEB supplies recombinant glycosidases and glycoprotein analysis tools widely used in glycoscience research, with growing commercial offerings in glycan reagents and analytical services. Overlaps with CCRC's customer base and represents an emerging commercial alternative for carbohydrate analysis reagents.
• Bruker Corporation: Bruker manufactures the high-field NMR spectrometers (including 1.1 GHz systems) and MALDI imaging instruments used at CCRC. As an instrument vendor with growing life-science service offerings, Bruker represents adjacent commercial infrastructure in the glycoscience analytical space.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific - Analytical Instruments: Thermo Fisher supplies the Orbitrap mass spectrometers used by CCRC and offers commercial glycomics analysis services and software through its pharma services division. Represents both a key technology supplier and an emerging commercial alternative to academic analytical services.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - Glycobiology Division: Major academic medical center with a leading Glycobiology Division focused on inherited glycosylation disorders. Competes for similar NIH grant funding and serves as a comparable biomedical research hub with clinical applications in glycoscience.

Broad incumbents

• Scripps Research Institute: A much larger and broader biomedical research institute with significant glycoprotein and glycobiology research programs. Scripps competes for the same NIH funding pool and recruits from the same glycoscience talent pool as CCRC, though its scope is far broader than carbohydrate-focused research.

Others

• National Institutes of Health - NCATS and NIGMS: NIH is the primary funding agency for CCRC's analytical services and training programs. As the federal research funder and operator of related intramural glycoscience programs, NIH is the most important institutional counterparty rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversityOfGeorgia
• Facebookfacebook.com/139606742750346
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-georgia
• Instagraminstagram.com/universityofga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Complex Carbohydrate Research Center