Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis

What Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis does

The Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis (VREF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 1993 and headquartered in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. VREF operates as the nonprofit research and education corporation affiliated with the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, providing a flexible funding mechanism to administer non-VA funding from private and public sponsors for veteran-focused research and education. Four statutory board positions are held by the VA Medical Center's Director, Chief of Staff, and Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Education, structurally embedding VREF within the federal VA research apparatus. The foundation's primary beneficiaries are U.S. military veterans served by the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, spanning conflicts from World War II through Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan.

VREF's product surface is organized around four operational units: the Clinical Trials Unit (CTU), which coordinates over 20 active clinical trials spanning oncology, cardiovascular, nuclear medicine, neurology, and physical medicine; the Clinical Epidemiology Center (CEC), which conducts large-scale electronic health record analysis and advanced epidemiologic and causal inference research with real-world evidence output; the PREP Team, which supports Principal Investigators with regulatory submission packages; and Research Sponsorship Administration, which manages non-VA funding flows. Underlying technology leverages the U.S. Veterans Health Administration national healthcare databases, giving researchers population-scale data access and the ability to publish in venues such as Nature, Science, NEJM, JAMA, and BMJ. The foundation employs 43 Principal Investigators as of 2025 (up from just a few in 2017) and supports more than 43 active research programs.

VREF's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of a VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporation. Federal grant funding flows from NIH, NCI, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Defense. Pharmaceutical and corporate research funding comes from more than 15 sponsors, including Janssen, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Daiichi-Sankyo, Merck, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alnylam, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Endocyte, Point Biopharma, Reprieve Cardiovascular, Impulse Dynamics, and Curium Pharma. Individual donations are solicited online with preset tiers ranging from $25 to $2,500 (one-time or monthly recurring), supplemented by Facebook fundraising, Veterans Day campaigns, community events (Glo Bingo, Trivia Night), estate gifts, and grants from foundations such as the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Warren Alpert Foundation. Academic collaboration partners include Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University.

Name

Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis

Legal name

Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis

Website

https://vrefstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VREF is a St. Louis 501(c)(3) nonprofit that administers non-VA funding for veteran-focused research and education within the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, supporting 43 Principal Investigators, a Clinical Trials Unit, and a Clinical Epidemiology Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Research Administration

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA), Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

Keywords

• Veterans medical research
• Nonprofit research administration
• Clinical trials management
• Veteran health education
• Research grants funding

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation accepts donations from individuals through online portals, checks, and stock donations. One-time and monthly donation options are available with preset amounts ranging from $25 to $2,500.
2. Federal Grant Funding: VREF receives funds from federal non-VA agencies including NIH, NCI, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, and Department of Defense for research projects.
3. Pharmaceutical and Corporate Research Funding: Multiple pharmaceutical companies sponsor clinical trials including Janssen, Daiichi-Sankyo, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Merck, Blue Earth Diagnostics, Endocyte, Point Biopharma, and others.
4. Estate Gifts and Planned Giving: The foundation accepts estate gifts to perpetuate and sustain medical research and programs. Contact Executive Director for information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis (VREF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1993 that funds and administers research and education projects conducted within the VA St. Louis Healthcare System. The foundation provides research administration infrastructure, including a Clinical Trials Unit, a Clinical Epidemiology Center, a PREP (preparatory research) Team, and Research Sponsorship Administration, supporting Principal Investigators in advancing the health and well-being of veterans.

Product overview

The Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis (VREF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1993 to fund research projects within the VA St. Louis Healthcare System. Rather than a unified product platform, VREF offers a portfolio of research support services including the Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) which coordinates clinical studies across therapeutic areas, the Clinical Epidemiology Center (CEC) which provides data analytics and health insights, the PREP Team which assists with regulatory submissions, and research sponsorship administration services. The foundation supports over 43 Principal Investigators managing more than 43 active research programs spanning cardiology, oncology, neurology, nephrology, infectious diseases, mental health, and other areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trials Unit

Quantifiable outcome

• 43 Principal Investigators conducting research in 2025 (up from few in 2017)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• VA St. Louis Healthcare SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary partnership with the VA St. Louis Healthcare System (STLVAHCS). VREF provides a flexible funding mechanism to administer non-VA funding from varied sponsors for research and education activities involving veterans. The foundation works in tandem with the STLVAHCS to focus on veteran-related issues and improve their well-being.
• National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVREF is a proud member of NAVREF, the preeminent organization helping nonprofit research and education corporations (NPCs) obtain funding for the conduct of research and education at VA facilities nationwide. VREF participates in NAVREF's annual national conference.
• Washington University in St. LouismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint studies including CREST II, FASTR, CANF-Comb, MODERN, and others. Washington University provides academic research collaboration for various clinical trials.
• Saint Louis UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Saint Louis University. Dr. Medhat Osman serves as Tenured Professor and Medical Director of Division of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT at Saint Louis University.
• Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. VREF was founded by VA personnel to help fund research projects within the VA St. Louis Healthcare System.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE): Affiliated nonprofit research corporation supporting VA San Francisco research. Direct peer as both are VA-affiliated 501(c)(3) NPCs administering non-VA grants and conducting clinical trials within their respective VA medical centers.
• Health Research, Inc. (HRI): Nonprofit that administers extramural research funding for the NY State Department of Health and supports research at Wadsworth Center. Comparable as a nonprofit research administration entity channeling federal and private grant funding to investigators.
• VA Portland Research Foundation: Nonprofit research corporation supporting VA Portland Health Care System research. Comparable NPC structure administering non-VA funds for VA-based clinical research.
• Tennessee Valley Health System Research Foundation: VA-affiliated nonprofit foundation supporting research at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. Direct peer operating under the same NAVREF-aligned VA NPC framework.
• Atlanta Research and Education Foundation (AREF): VA-affiliated nonprofit research corporation supporting the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Direct peer operating the same NPC model for VA research administration.
• Massachusetts Veterans Research and Education Foundation: Nonprofit supporting research at VA Boston and Bedford facilities. Comparable VA-affiliated NPC with similar model for administering sponsored research.

Broad incumbents

• Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI): Academic clinical research organization affiliated with Duke University running large-scale sponsored clinical trials. Comparable as an established academic CRO executing multi-therapeutic clinical research with pharma sponsors.
• Brigham and Women's Hospital – Center for Clinical Investigation: Academic medical center clinical research infrastructure running pharma-sponsored trials across therapeutic areas. Comparable scale of clinical trials administration and PI network.
• National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF): Umbrella organization representing VA-affiliated NPCs nationally. VREF is a member; NAVREF is the broader trade body that supports and advocates for the NPC model VREF operates within.

Emerging players

• Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development: Academic partner of VREF conducting clinical research in the St. Louis region. Relevant peer via the existing collaboration relationship and overlapping investigator networks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VREFSTL
• Facebookfacebook.com/VREFSTL
• Instagraminstagram.com/veteransresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterans-research-and-education-foundation-of-st-louis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Veterans Research and Education Foundation of St. Louis