CEMIT

What CEMIT does

CEMIT (Centro Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Tecnológicas) is a multidisciplinary research center affiliated with Paraguay's Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), operating from its campus in San Lorenzo. It runs nine specialized laboratories covering drug quality control, water quality analysis, chemistry and toxicology, cosmetics and household products, hydrobiology, microbiology, biotechnology, bioproducts, and a sampling unit, supported by six active research groups (GIMVAS, MIST, BioProsNat, BioProAVA, GENTOXCITE, PARAQUIM) focused on plant genetic improvement, mycology and food safety, natural-product bioprospecting, agroalimentary bioproducts, toxicological genetics, and veterinary parasitology.

CEMIT became the first state laboratory in Paraguay to achieve ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in 2006 (currently undergoing re-accreditation) and is the designated Reference Laboratory for MADES, the environmental authority, and ERSSAN, the sanitary services regulator. Revenue is generated through three streams: a published fee schedule (Arancel) covering 200+ paid laboratory tests priced per sample; competitive research grants from CONACYT, OIEA/FAO Atoms4Food, IAEA ARCAL, and FIR-UNA; and baseline funding from its parent university. Customers span government regulatory bodies (primary), pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, agricultural producers and food processors, and other public and private laboratories requiring interlaboratory comparison services. Distribution is direct via on-campus sample drop-off and on-site sampling across Paraguayan departments.

The institution's competitive position rests on its regulatory mandates, brand recognition (first research center to receive Marca País Paraguay), and the breadth of multidisciplinary capabilities under a single accredited roof. Notable outcomes include soybean-rust and Cercospora control programs yielding over 800 kg/ha improvements in Canindeyú field trials and the ODS Paraguay 2021 Planetary category award for household- and hospital-effluent bioremediation pilots. CEMIT is privately classified in firmographics but functionally operates as a non-profit government state entity owned by UNA through its Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (DGICT-UNA).

Name

CEMIT

Legal name

Centro Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Tecnológicas

Website

https://cemit.una.py

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CEMIT is a multidisciplinary research center of Paraguay's Universidad Nacional de Asunción that operates ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratories across pharmaceuticals, water, microbiology, and biotechnology, serving as the official reference laboratory for the country's environmental and sanitary regulators (MADES and ERSSAN).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Laboratory Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAGAAAC

Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

SECONDARYHLAGAAAE

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

Keywords

• Laboratory testing services
• Analytical chemistry services
• Water quality analysis
• Pharmaceutical quality control
• Environmental testing services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Lorenzo

HQ country

Paraguay

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: CEMIT charges fees for analytical and testing services across pharmaceutical, cosmetic, environmental, food, and agricultural samples. Fee schedules are published annually (e.g., Arancel 2026) with specific price points per test type ranging from G. 55,000 to G. 13,840,000. Services include quality control of medications, water analysis, pesticide residue testing, microbiological counts, mycotoxin analysis, and stability studies.
2. Competitive Research Grants: CEMIT researchers secure funding through competitive grant programs from CONACYT (Paraguay's national science council), the OIEA/FAO Atoms4Food program, the IAEA ARCAL regional projects, and national research funds (FIR-UNA). Projects fund specific research initiatives rather than core operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CEMIT is a multidisciplinary research center of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA) in Paraguay that operates accredited laboratories providing analytical testing services across pharmaceutical quality control, water quality analysis, cosmetics and household products, chemistry and toxicology, microbiology, hydrobiology, biotechnology, and bioproducts. It also conducts applied scientific research through six research groups covering plant genetic improvement, food safety, natural product bioprospecting, and toxicological genetics, and serves as the designated Reference Laboratory for MADES and ERSSAN.

Product overview

CEMIT (Centro Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Tecnológicas) is a multidisciplinary research center of the National University of Asunción, Paraguay. It operates as a reference laboratory for the Ministry of Environment (MADES) and ERSSAN, providing laboratory testing services and conducting scientific research. The institution offers a portfolio of specialized laboratory services including drug quality control, water quality analysis, microbiology, chemistry and toxicology, cosmetics and household product control, hydrobiology, and biotechnology. Its research division comprises six specialized groups focused on plant genetic improvement (GIMVAS), mycology and food safety (MIST), natural product bioprospecting (BioProsNat), agroalimentary bioproducts (BioProAVA), toxicological genetics (GENTOXCITE), and veterinary parasitology (PARAQUIM).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Soybean rust and Cercospora control programs yielded over 800 kg/ha yield increases compared to untreated plots in Canindeyú department field trials
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• INTI (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial): Argentina's national industrial technology research institute with extensive accredited testing laboratories across chemistry, materials, and food. Comparable as a state-backed multidisciplinary testing and applied research organization in South America.
• LATU (Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay): Government-affiliated multi-disciplinary testing and metrology laboratory of Uruguay, operating across similar testing categories (materials, environment, food, pharma). Highly comparable as a public-sector reference testing institution in a neighboring MERCOSUR country.
• LANAGRO (Laboratório Nacional Agropecuário): Brazil's national agricultural laboratory network under MAPA, providing accredited testing for food safety, animal health, and agricultural inputs. Comparable for the agricultural testing and food safety portions of CEMIT's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Intertek: Global quality assurance provider with agricultural, food, environmental, and pharmaceutical testing services. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping analytical capabilities.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO and laboratory services provider with safety assessment, toxicology, and microbiology capabilities. Comparable as a CRO incumbent for the toxicology/general lab testing portion of CEMIT's services.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) group with commodity, agri-food, and environmental testing lines. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same testing categories CEMIT serves.
• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection, and certification company with broad life sciences, environmental, and agricultural testing capabilities. Comparable as a global incumbent offering overlapping analytical services.
• ALS Limited: International testing services group with significant life sciences, environmental, and food/pharma testing operations. Comparable for water, environmental, and food safety testing.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global leader in food, environmental, pharmaceutical, and clinical testing services. Comparable as a large-scale commercial testing operator that could expand into Paraguay's regulatory testing market.

Regional players

• INMETRO (Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia): Brazil's national metrology and quality institute with accredited calibration and testing infrastructure. Comparable as a regional government-affiliated standards and testing body in South America.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CEMITPY
• Facebookfacebook.com/cemitpy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cemitpy
• Instagraminstagram.com/cemitpy

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CEMIT