CATALIS Québec

What CATALIS Québec does

CATALIS Québec is a not-for-profit organization (OBNL) headquartered in Montreal that operates as the Government of Quebec's mandated coordinating body for clinical research in the province. Established in 2017/2018, it was created to accelerate and optimize clinical trial activity across Quebec's publicly funded health institutions. Its stakeholder base spans four groups: patients seeking access to trials, public health institutions acting as trial sites, pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors conducting trials, and the Government of Quebec as the sole funder.

Its product portfolio is built around four operational pillars: a FAST TRACK Evaluation Service that provides rapid protocol feasibility assessment across provincial sites, a Personalized Support Service that guides sponsors through Quebec's regulatory and institutional environment, a Provincial Dashboard for trial performance monitoring, and a public Quebec Clinical Trials Registry. These tools collectively function as a provincial single-entry point, reducing administrative friction between sponsors and sites and providing transparent performance data. The organization also convenes 77+ committees and coordinates a network of 87+ partners and 250+ experts drawn from the Quebec health and life sciences community.

CATALIS operates a non-commercial revenue model: services are provided without charge to sponsors and institutions, and the organization is funded exclusively by the Government of Quebec. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven and mandate-driven rather than sales-led, and its value proposition centers on reducing trial activation timelines and improving site performance across the provincial system. Sustainability is a function of continued government commitment, and there is no pricing model, commercial product line, or alternative revenue stream disclosed.

Name

CATALIS Québec

Legal name

CATALIS Québec

Website

https://catalisquebec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CATALIS Québec is a not-for-profit organization mandated by the Government of Quebec to accelerate provincial clinical research. It serves as the single-entry point connecting pharma sponsors, health institutions, patients, and government through trial evaluation, dashboards, and a public registry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: CATALIS is a not-for-profit organization (OBNL) formally mandated and funded by the Government of Quebec to mobilize and coordinate provincial efforts related to clinical research in Quebec. The organization collaborates with the MSSS, MEIE, and Santé Québec, with no commercial revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CATALIS Québec is a not-for-profit organization mandated by the Government of Quebec to coordinate and optimize clinical research across the province. It provides the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service to authorize clinical trials in ≤8 weeks, a Personalized Support Service for patients seeking trials, standardized provincial tools (ethics clauses, model contracts, SOPs), a Quebec Clinical Trials Registry, a provincial Power BI dashboard, and a training program delivered through N2 Canada. These services are delivered free of charge to health institutions, pharmaceutical sponsors, and patients through a network of 87+ partners and 26+ health institutions.

Product overview

CATALIS Québec operates as a not-for-profit organization mandated by the Quebec Government to optimize clinical research across the province. The organization offers a coordinated portfolio of services structured around three core offerings: the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service for expedited clinical trial authorization, the Personalized Support Service for patient navigation, and a Provincial Dashboard for research performance monitoring. These are supported by the Recherche clinique Québec sub-brand portal (with separate sites for the public and for sponsors), the Quebec Clinical Trials Registry built on the Nagano platform, a Patient Organization Directory, and Common Provincial Tools including standardized ethics clauses, SOPs, and model contracts. A provincial training program through N2 Canada and co-created CATALIS Network capsules rounds out the service ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Recherche clinique Québec – Promoteurs: A single-window information and support portal providing resources and tools to optimize the planning and conduct of clinical research projects in Quebec, targeting sponsors.
• Recherche clinique Québec (RCQ)
• Service d'évaluation ACCÉLÉRÉE (FAST TRACK Evaluation Service)
• Service d'accompagnement personnalisé

Products and services

• FAST TRACK Evaluation Service (Service d'évaluation ACCÉLÉRÉE) Centralized evaluation service that coordinates ethical and regulatory approvals for clinical trials across multiple Quebec health institutions through a single ethics review recognized province-wide. Delivered free of charge to pharmaceutical sponsors and health institutions.
• Personalized Support Service (Service d'accompagnement personnalisé) Free personalized assistance service supporting patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in searching for clinical trials that match their specific needs and criteria. Provided free of charge.
• Provincial Clinical Research Dashboard (Tableau de bord provincial) Power BI-based provincial dashboard providing standardized clinical research data to research directions across Quebec health institutions, enabling trend monitoring, issue identification, and performance benchmarking.
• Quebec Clinical Trials Registry (Registre des essais cliniques du Québec) Public database built on the Nagano platform (SemiWeb) that compiles and shares real-time data from ClinicalTrials.gov and Quebec public health institutions, enabling identification of ongoing, past, and upcoming clinical trials in Quebec and worldwide.
• Common Provincial Tools (Outils communs provinciaux) Suite of standardized documents including regulatory guides (ICH E6 R3, FDA 1572, EU 536/2014), standardized ethics clauses, standard operating procedures for research ethics boards, and model contracts (mCDA, mCTA) for accelerating clinical trial negotiations.
• CATALIS Provincial Training Program (Formations provinciales en recherche clinique) Provincial training program including N2 / CITI-Canada platform access and co-created CATALIS Network training capsules covering data management, ALCOA+ principles, task delegation, quality management, and Clinical Research 101 courses.
• Health Institution Directory (Répertoire des établissements de santé) Directory facilitating identification of optimal sites for specific clinical trials, supporting faster, more effective, and collaborative research across Quebec health institutions.
• Provincial Health Data Access Process (Processus d'accès aux données de santé) Framework for accessing Quebec's population health data collected through the universal public health system, covering medical procedures, hospitalizations, medications, and laboratory/imaging results for research purposes.
• Harmonized Multicentre Authorization Process (Processus d'autorisation multicentrique harmonisé) Visual representation and standardized process mapping of the multicentre authorization pathway for clinical trials across Quebec, featuring a single ethics review recognized throughout Quebec.
• Patient Organization Directory (Bottin des associations de patients) Searchable directory of 35+ patient associations across various medical domains, with filtering capabilities by name or medical category, facilitating access to resources for patients and their families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clinical trial authorization timelines reduced by 65-75%, achieving ≤8 weeks compared to standard 30+ week processes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Santé Québec – Centre universitaire de santé McGill (Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding health institution partner in the CATALIS Network. The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre contributes expertise to advisory committees and participates in the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service for clinical trials.
• Santé Québec – Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding health institution partner providing research expertise and participating in harmonized clinical trial authorization processes.
• Santé Québec – CHU Sainte-JustinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding pediatric research centre partner contributing to network advisory committees and clinical trial coordination.
• Santé Québec – CHU de Québec – Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding university hospital centre partner providing research expertise and participating in provincial clinical research initiatives.
• Santé Québec – CHU de Sherbrooke (Estrie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner providing research expertise through the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie.
• Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec – Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding specialized cardiac and pulmonary research institute partner contributing to clinical trial expertise.
• Douglas – Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding mental health research centre partner contributing expertise in neuroscience and psychiatry clinical trials.
• Institut de cardiologie de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Specialized cardiac research institute partner; achieved first participant recruited globally for a Novartis cardiology study.
• Neuro – Institut-Hôpital neurologique de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Specialized neurology research institute partner contributing to neuroscience clinical trials through the CATALIS Network.
• Santé Québec – All CISSS/CIUSSS institutions (26 total)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork includes all 26 CISSS/CIUSSS health institutions across Quebec regions, providing comprehensive provincial coverage for clinical research coordination.
• Montreal InVivocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2015-2016, Montreal InVivo identified the strategic need for Quebec to attract more early clinical trials funded by industry. Their initiative led to the creation of CATALIS in 2017.
• Consortium Québécois sur la Découverte du Médicament (CQDM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCQDM was mandated by MEIE to launch the provincial initiative and founded the coordination office that led to CATALIS becoming an independent legal entity in 2018.
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing formal mandate and ongoing collaboration for provincial clinical research coordination.
• Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie (MEIE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry that mandated CQDM to launch the CATALIS initiative and provides ongoing funding and policy support.
• Santé QuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvincial health authority created from the fusion of health institutions, working with CATALIS on clinical research coordination.
• N2 – Networks of NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerN2 provides standardized operating procedures for research ethics boards that CATALIS adapted for Quebec. CATALIS provides member institutions free access to N2's training platform and CITI-Canada courses.
• BioQuébecsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec biotech industry association collaborating on the biotech service provider directory and ecosystem resources.
• Investissement QuébecsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec investment agency contributing to the ecosystem of resources for clinical research and life sciences investment.
• AbbViecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of seven top-10 global pharmaceutical companies established in Quebec, participating in CATALIS Network as an industry partner for clinical trials.
• PfizercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of seven top-10 global pharmaceutical companies established in Quebec, conducting clinical trials through the CATALIS Network.
• RochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTop pharmaceutical company with strong presence in Quebec; achieved first site activated in Canada for breast cancer study through FAST TRACK Service.
• NovartiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner with multiple studies in Quebec; achieved first participant globally recruited for cardiology study at Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal.
• Bristol Myers SquibbcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical company achieving first patient recruited nationally in Canada through FAST TRACK Service for colorectal cancer study.
• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal pharmaceutical company with senior leadership represented on CATALIS Board of Directors, contributing to strategic partnerships.
• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner; CHU Sainte-Justine achieved first global site ranking for Sanofi study on rare inflammatory disease.
• Novo NordisksecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew promoter joining the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service for the first time with HF-POLARIS heart failure study.
• AstraZeneca, Merck, Amgen, Lilly, Vertex, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead, Johnson&Johnson, AlexionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional pharmaceutical industry partners in the CATALIS Network contributing to clinical research ecosystem in Quebec.
• Patient Organizations (35+ including Patients Partenaires, Cancer organizations, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Quebec, Arthritis Society Canada, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 35 patient organizations representing various disease areas participate in the network to ensure patient perspectives are integrated into clinical research planning and to facilitate patient recruitment.
• SemiWeb (Nagano Platform)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing the Nagano platform for Quebec's Public Clinical Trials Database, compiling real-time data from health institutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Health Research Authority (HRA): UK government arm's-length body that manages health research approvals, ethics, and trial site coordination in the NHS. Closest international governmental analog to CATALIS's coordinating role — operates in a different jurisdiction (UK NHS) but with similar public-mandate structure.
• CQDM (Consortium Québécois sur la Découverte du Médicament): Quebec biopharmaceutical research consortium that was mandated by MEIE to launch the initiative that became CATALIS. Operates as a parallel Quebec life sciences funder/coordinator in drug discovery rather than clinical trial optimization.
• Montréal InVivo: Quebec life sciences and health technologies cluster organization that originally identified the strategic need CATALIS was created to address. Acts as a broader ecosystem convener (not just clinical trials) and is closely tied to CATALIS's origin and ongoing ecosystem partnerships.
• European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN): Non-profit pan-European infrastructure supporting multinational clinical research coordination across European countries. Comparable coordinating role at a regional (multi-country) level — a model CATALIS could theoretically evolve toward.

Direct peers

• Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI): Public-private partnership co-founded by FDA and Duke University focused on improving the quality and efficiency of clinical trials. Comparable in mission (trial process optimization, sponsor–regulator coordination) and multi-stakeholder governance model.
• Clinical Trials Ontario: Provincial non-profit coordinating body for clinical research in Ontario with similar mandate to attract industry-sponsored trials, provide site navigation, and harmonize ethics review processes across the province. Most directly comparable peer given structural similarity as a province-level clinical research coordination organization.
• Network of Networks (N2 Canada): National non-profit providing standardized operating procedures for research ethics boards and clinical research training (via CITI-Canada platform). CATALIS adapted N2 SOPs for Quebec and provides member institutions free access to N2's training — making N2 a direct ecosystem peer and content partner.
• Clinical Trials BC: British Columbia's clinical trials coordination body, also focused on streamlining trial activation, supporting sponsors, and connecting patients to trials. Same provincial mandate structure as CATALIS, operating in the parallel Canadian jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• WCG Clinical: Large US-based commercial provider of IRB, biosafety, IBC review, and clinical trial technology services. Replaces or competes with parts of CATALIS's ethics-review and contract-harmonization role in commercial settings, but as a global incumbent rather than a provincial coordinator.
• Advarra: Commercial central IRB and research compliance services provider. Comparable to the ethics review portion of CATALIS's FAST TRACK offering but operates globally as a commercial IRB rather than a government-mandated coordination body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catalisqc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CATALIS Québec