Progress

What Progress does

Progress Co., Ltd. (株式会社プログレス) is a privately held Japanese Site Management Organization (SMO) founded in February 2005 and headquartered in central Osaka. The company provides clinical trial support services to pharmaceutical company sponsors and to medical institutions across the Keihanshin (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) region. Its service portfolio comprises three core modules — CRC (Clinical Research Coordinator) on-site staffing, clinical trial office/secretariat administration, and IRB (ethics committee) support — plus two ancillary lines: International Medical Coordinator services for medical tourists visiting Japan, and an emerging Disease Management business built around smartphone-based patient monitoring and cross-facility PHR databases co-developed with Osaka University School of Medicine.

The underlying technology stack centers on digitalizing the SMO workflow rather than on AI or machine learning. Core components include an iPad-based IRB support tool, an in-house 院内パネル (in-house patient panel) system that pre-identifies trial candidates at partner facilities at approximately twice the contracted case target, the カット・ドゥ・スクウェア (Cut-Do-Square) clinical trial operation support system for electronic document management, and smartphone-based data collection modules feeding facility-level Disease Management databases. A QC Committee, monthly PDCA cycles, self-inspections, JASMO third-party audits, and a structured training program (100+ hours of initial onboarding plus 40+ hours of annual continuing education) underpin the operational layer.

Progress makes money primarily through professional services fees billed to pharmaceutical sponsors and medical institutions on a per-trial, per-site basis. CRC staffing, trial secretariat work, and IRB operations are contracted directly; CRCs are stationed on-site at more than 50 partner medical institutions in the Keihanshin region under single-SMO-per-site arrangements. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales: direct relationships with sponsor pharma companies (including Takeda, Chugai, Pfizer, Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Astellas, and others) and physician-level relationships at partner facilities. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per trial scope. The company is founder/management-owned, with ¥20 million registered capital, no institutional investors, and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Progress

Legal name

株式会社プログレス

Website

https://progress-ltd.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Progress Co., Ltd. (株式会社プログレス) is a privately held Japanese SMO founded in 2005 that provides CRC staffing, trial secretariat, and IRB support services to pharmaceutical sponsors and medical institutions across the Keihanshin (Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe) region, leveraging in-house patient panels and project-based trial management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Trial Site Management Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Site Identification & Feasibility (HLAGACAB), Patient Recruitment, Site Feasibility & Trial Enablement CROs (HLAGAAAI), Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC), Investigator & Site Training / GCP Support (HLAGACAF), Site Quality Management & Audit Readiness (HLAGACAN)

Keywords

• Clinical trial coordination
• Site management organization
• Institutional review board
• Pharmaceutical clinical support
• Medical institution services

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SMO Services (CRC Support): Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) services provided to medical institutions conducting clinical trials. CRCs are stationed at partner facilities to manage trial coordination including informed consent support, patient scheduling, data recording, adverse event reporting, and communication between physicians and sponsor companies. Revenue is generated through service fees billed to pharmaceutical company sponsors and medical institutions based on contracted trial scopes.
2. 治験事務局業務 (Trial Secretariat Services): Administrative support for clinical trial secretariat operations at medical institutions, including creation and management of SOPs, regulatory document preparation, IRB support, contract administration, and audit preparation. Billed as professional service fees to pharmaceutical companies and institutions.
3. IRB支援業務 (IRB Support Services): Ethics committee (IRB) secretariat support services including IRB operations management, meeting preparation, review result documentation, and archival management. Also provides access to a Central IRB network for small clinics and institutions without their own IRB.
4. 国際医療コーディネーター業務 (International Medical Coordinator Services): Medical tourism support services for visiting foreigners seeking medical examinations and treatments in Japan. Services include pre-travel consultation, multilingual interpretation, hospital appointment coordination, visa documentation support, and post-return follow-up. Revenue generated through service fees to medical tourism operators, insurance companies, and individual patients.
5. Disease Management 事業 (Disease Management): Future business line involving facility-level disease management databases with smartphone-based patient monitoring (diet guidance, ECG, vital signs transmission), PHR (Personal Health Record) management, and cross-facility medication tracking. Developed in collaboration with Osaka University School of Medicine Department of Medical Informatics (Prof. Matsumura).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Progress is a Japanese Site Management Organization (SMO) that delivers clinical trial support services through dedicated Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) staff stationed on-site at 50+ partner medical institutions in the Keihanshin region. The company provides pharmaceutical company sponsors with site management, patient recruitment, GCP-compliant trial operations, IRB/ethics committee support, and clinical trial secretariat services across therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, renal, CNS, oncology, respiratory, gastroenterology, and orthopedics.

Product overview

Progress is an SMO (Site Management Organization) company providing comprehensive clinical trial support services in Japan's Kansai region (京阪神). The core offering consists of three integrated service modules: CRC業務 (Clinical Research Coordinator services) for on-site trial coordination, 治験事務局業務 (Clinical Trial Office services) for administrative support, and IRB支援業務 (IRB Support services) for ethics committee operations. These are complemented by 国際医療Coordinator業務 for medical tourism and Disease Management services for digital health initiatives. The company operates with a focus on high case achievement rates using proprietary in-hospital panel systems and project-based trial management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRC Services (Clinical Research Coordinator Services)
• Clinical Trial Office Services (治験事務局業務)
• IRB Support Services (IRB支援業務)
• International Medical Coordinator Services (国際医療Coordinator業務)
• Disease Management Services (Disease Management事業)

Quantifiable outcome

• Average enrollment achievement rate >90%; cardiovascular area Phase II/III achieved 317% (atrial fibrillation), 218% (coronary artery disease), 160% (hypertension); dialysis achieved 119%; renal disease achieved 126%; internal medicine digestive achieved 131%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• バイエル薬品株式会社 (Bayer Yakuhin)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014CRA (Clinical Research Associate) role-play training conducted at partnered medical facilities. CRCs at partner institutions provide mock monitoring scenarios for Bayer CRA training programs.
• 協和発酵キリン株式会社 (Kyowa Kirin)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014CRA role-play training conducted at partnered medical facilities.
• 日本SMO協会 (Japan SMO Association / JASMO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2007Company joined the Japan SMO Association (JASMO) in August 2007. JASMO provides third-party audit programs and self-inspection guidelines for member SMOs. The company underwent a JASMO audit in January 2018.
• 株式会社阪神配售薬局 (Hanshin Dispensing Pharmacy Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2006SMO business partnership established in May 2006, combining Hanshin Dispensing Pharmacy's pharmacy network with Progress's SMO expertise to provide integrated clinical trial support.
• 大阪大学医学部医療情報部 (Osaka University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Informatics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2005Collaborative partnership for joint development of a clinical trial data management labor-saving system starting May 2005, under the guidance of the Osaka University School of Medicine. The partnership was later extended to include a Disease Management database project with Prof. Matsumura involving smartphone-based patient monitoring and PHR storage systems.
• 50+ 医療機関 (50+ Partner Medical Institutions)coreOthersOver 50 medical institutions in the Hanshin (Osaka-Kobe) region are partnered with for clinical trial operations. CRCs are stationed at these facilities on a single-SMO-per-site basis. The company also maintains relationships with key physicians who serve as referral sources for new facilities.
• 社会医療法人景岳会 南大阪病院 (Keigaku-kai South Osaka Hospital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaborative research partnership with joint presentations at the Japanese Society of Clinical Pharmacology (JSCP) annual meetings from 2012 to 2021. Multiple joint studies on clinical trial enrollment, patient adherence, informed consent, and acute care trial management published.
• 大阪大学発ベンチャー企業の協同組合 (青い銀杏の会 / Osaka University Venture Company Cooperative)minorOthersCompany joined the Osaka University venture company cooperative (Aoi Gingko no Kai) in May 2005, providing access to a network of university-launched venture companies for collaboration and business development opportunities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MEDIUS Holdings (formerly Dot World): Japanese SMO providing site management and clinical trial support services to pharma sponsors. Comparable business model focused on CRC staffing and patient recruitment at medical institutions in Japan.
• Soiken Holdings: Japanese SMO providing CRC services and clinical research support to pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions. Operates in a similar service category with comparable target customers.
• InCROM Inc. Japanese SMO offering CRC services, trial site management, and patient recruitment across multiple therapeutic areas. Direct competitor in the Japanese SMO market with overlapping target customers and service mix.
• Site Support Institute (SSI): One of Japan's largest SMOs offering CRC staffing, site management, and IRB support across all major Japanese regions. Directly comparable business model to Progress with similar trial-coordination services but at significantly larger national scale.
• EP-SOGO Co., Ltd. Japanese SMO providing on-site CRC support, IRB secretariat services, and patient recruitment for pharma-sponsored clinical trials nationwide. Comparable service offering and target customer base (pharma sponsors and medical institutions) to Progress.

Others

• IQVIA Japan: Global CRO with substantial Japanese SMO operations. Provides clinical trial site management services alongside broader CRO offerings and has awarded Progress CRCs via its Top 50 recognition program. Broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities.
• Medrio (Japanese operations): Technology vendor providing eClinical solutions (EDC, eCOA, ePRO) that enable clinical trial operations. Adjacent ecosystem participant — its tools compete with Progress's Cut-Do-Square electronic document management system.

Emerging players

• WDB Holdings (WDB Clinical): Japanese CRO/SMO with growing clinical trial site management operations. Comparable site-based trial support services but with a stronger staffing-services background and emerging SMO footprint.

Broad incumbents

• EPS Holdings: Major Japanese CRO with SMO operations providing site management, patient recruitment, and CRO services. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Progress but directly comparable service offerings.
• CMIC Holdings: Japan's largest CRO with embedded SMO operations, full clinical development services, and contract sales. Broader portfolio than Progress but overlapping on SMO/site management services and pharma sponsor customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Progress