Royan Institute

What Royan Institute does

Royan Institute (پژوهشگاه رویان) is a nonprofit, government-affiliated biotechnology and medical research center founded in 1991 in Tehran, Iran, operating under Jahad Daneshgahi (جهاد دانشگاهی). The institute operates as a vertically integrated research-to-clinical enterprise comprising three research institutes (Reproductive Biomedicine; Stem Cell Biology and Technology; Biotechnology), four specialized clinical treatment centers (Superspecialized Infertility Treatment; Cell Therapy; Diabetes/Obesity/Metabolism; Comprehensive Genetics), the Cancer Institute, and the ATMP Center for advanced cell product manufacturing. Its core technology platforms span IVF/ICSI/PGD reproductive medicine, stem cell biology (including human iPSC production), transgenic animal technology, and GMP-certified cell therapy product manufacturing — anchored by pioneering 'firsts' including the first IVF baby in Tehran (1992), first cloned mammal in the Middle East (Royana, 2006), and Iran's first allogeneic cell therapy products entering the national drug formulary (Royin Sheet/Graph, 2024).

Royan's business model is multi-stream: (1) clinical treatment services delivered through specialty centers (220,000+ infertile couples served cumulatively, 40,000+ children born); (2) commercialization of research outputs via knowledge-based spin-off companies producing ATMP products (KimiaCell, Wartosel, Royin Sheet, Royin Graph) and embryology reagents (Anahp, Anahidaz); (3) educational revenue from MSc/PhD programs, fellowship training, the international Royan Summer School, and short-term courses; (4) health tourism through the International Patients Department; (5) subscription and event revenue from two peer-reviewed journals (Cell Journal with Impact Factor 2.0; IJFS) and the annual International Royan Congress; and (6) implicit government funding via Jahad Daneshgahi. Marketing channels center on scientific congresses, peer-reviewed publications, educational programs, and government engagement.

The institute holds 70 domestic and 3 international patents, has 360 ongoing research projects with 800+ employer-funded and 1,200 student projects completed, and is ranked 2nd among Iran's research institutes and 7th globally in the ATMP field. It is led by President Dr. Abdolhossein Shahverdi, with key research leadership including Dr. Hossein Baharvand (Stem Cell Research) and Dr. Mohammad Hossein Nasr Isfahani (Biotechnology Research). Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the institute operates with 51-100 employees under a governmental, non-traded ownership structure.

Name

Royan Institute

Legal name

Royan Institute (پژوهشگاه رویان)

Website

https://royan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Royan Institute is a nonprofit, government-affiliated Iranian research and treatment center founded in 1991, operating integrated reproductive medicine clinics, stem cell research institutes, ATMP manufacturing facilities, and educational programs serving infertile couples, cell therapy patients, and the biotechnology industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reproductive Medicine and Stem Cell Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Prenatal, Newborn & Reproductive Diagnostics (NIPT, IVF/PGT, newborn screening) (HLAAALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Genetic & Genomic Testing (germline, somatic, carrier, pharmacogenomics) (HLAAALAD)

Keywords

• Reproductive medicine research
• Stem cell therapy
• Regenerative medicine
• Infertility treatment
• Biotechnology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Tehran

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clinical Treatment Services: Revenue from providing specialized medical treatment services including infertility treatment, cell therapy, and diabetes management through its specialized centers.
2. Knowledge-Based Company Products: Commercialization of research outcomes through knowledge-based companies including cell therapy products, biological reagents (Anahp, Anahidaz), and advanced cellular products (KimiaCell, Wartosel, Royin Sheet, Royin Graph).
3. Education and Training Programs: Revenue from educational programs including short-term training courses, international summer school, fellowship programs, and PhD programs.
4. Health Tourism: International patient services providing treatment to patients from other countries.
5. Academic Publications: Revenue from scientific journals including Cell Journal (Yakhteh) and International Journal of Fertility and Sterility (IJFS).
6. Congress and Event Management: Revenue from organizing international congresses, symposia, and scientific events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Royan Institute is a non-profit biomedical research and clinical center that conducts advanced research in reproductive medicine, stem cell biology, biotechnology, and cancer, while delivering specialized clinical services — including infertility treatment, cell therapy, and comprehensive genetics diagnostics — to patients, and supplying engineered cellular products such as KimiaCell, Rooyin Sheet, Vartosel, Anahep, and Anahidaz to medical institutions. It also runs graduate education programs and publishes peer-reviewed journals.

Product overview

Royan Institute operates as a multi-faceted healthcare, research, and education institution with a unified ecosystem spanning clinical services, research institutes, product development, and commercialization. The core clinical offerings are organized around four specialty treatment centers: the Superspecialized Infertility Treatment Center (providing IVF, ICSI, PGD, and genetic testing), the Cell Therapy Center, the Diabetes/Obesity/Metabolism Center, and the Comprehensive Genetics Center. These are supported by three research institutes—Reproductive Medicine Research Institute, Stem Cell Biology and Technology Research Institute, and Biotechnology Research Institute—plus the Royan Cancer Institute. The ATMP Center serves as the product development and manufacturing platform, producing cell therapy products including KimiaCell, Rooyin Sheet, Rooyin Graph, and Vartosel. The Royan Biotechnology Growth Center and RITAC provide business incubation and acceleration. Educational offerings include the Faculty of Basic Sciences, short-term training programs, and the Royan Summer School. The institute also publishes two peer-reviewed journals (IJFS and Cell Journal) and hosts the annual Royan International Congress.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infertility Treatment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 220,000+ infertile couples treated and 40,000+ children born through treatments
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature16 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Statistical Center of IrancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration to expand cooperation between Royan Institute and Iran's Statistical Center focusing on bioinformatics and statistical analysis of biological data. Dr. Goudarzi, head of Statistical Center of Iran, visited Royan Institute with deputies to discuss joint scientific, research, and data-driven collaboration areas.
• Ministry of Education (Iran)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2022MoU for science outreach and education targeting students. The 'Royana' science festival in biological sciences will be held annually with the Ministry of Education. Objectives include introducing students to scientific achievements and Iranian scientists, strengthening national identity, and discovering talented students in biological sciences.
• Vice Presidency for Science and Technology (Iran)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyan Institute serves as a specialized cooperation base for the 'Cooperation with Iranian Experts and Entrepreneurs Abroad' program, supporting post-doctoral fellowships, study opportunities, invited professors, startup establishment, specialized military service, and specialized lectures and workshops.
• Barakat Pharmaceutical FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to open the first mass production factory for cellular products in the region with Barakat Foundation, a pharmaceutical group supporting knowledge-based companies.
• Kendiran Cell Knowledge-Based CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA faculty member of Royan Institute and manager of Kendiran Cell company was selected in the 'BRICS Women in Healthcare Acceleration' competition for establishing an immune cell bank for cancer and autoimmune disease treatment.
• Mustafa Kamaly (Daneshjooyeha Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany collaborating on publishing 'Laboratory Aspects of Infertility Treatment' book, which won the 40th Book of the Year award.
• Iran University of Medical SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research and education collaboration between Royan Institute and Iran University of Medical Sciences.
• University of UrmiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for joint research and education collaboration between Royan Institute (Cellular Sciences Research Center and Reproductive Medical Research Center) and University of Urmia (Reproductive Health Research Center).
• National Museum of Science and Technology (Iran)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint exhibition on interactive museum works and science tours with Royan Institute researchers at the Central Bank club.
• Central Bank of IranminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host the joint exhibition of interactive museum works and science tours with Royan researchers at Central Bank of Iran facilities.
• Shaheed Beheshti Medical UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research institution where Royan Institute's joint research article was selected as cover article in the international journal Biology of Reproduction.
• Tarbiat Modares UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research where a joint article from Royan Institute and Tarbiat Modares University was selected as cover article in Biology of Reproduction journal.
• University of Malaya (UKM), MalaysiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual collaboration with University of Malaya in the 3rd International Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Symposium.
• Fasa University of Medical SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration mentioned in 3rd International Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Symposium organization.
• Qom University of Medical SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration mentioned in 3rd International Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Symposium organization.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vitrolife: Global provider of IVF media, lab reagents, and consumables used in ART labs. Comparable to Royan's embryology lab reagent business (Anahp, Anahidaz) in product category and downstream customer base.
• RIKEN (Center for Sustainable Resource Science / Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research): Japanese government research organization with major stem cell, regenerative medicine, and iPS cell programs. Comparable as a large publicly-funded multidisciplinary biomedical research institution translating science to clinical applications.

Direct peers

• Mesoblast: Commercial-stage cell therapy company developing allogeneic cellular medicines for inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Directly comparable to Royan's ATMP Center pipeline (Wartosel, Royin Sheet/Graph) in product modality and target indications.
• Boston IVF: US fertility clinic network with strong research arm in reproductive genetics and embryology. Comparable in combining high-volume clinical ART services with academic-style research output.
• IVI-RMA Global: One of the world's largest fertility clinic networks offering IVF, ICSI, and PGD. Directly comparable to Royan's Superspecialized Infertility Treatment Center in service mix and clinical research focus.
• Gamida Cell: Cell therapy company with approved allogeneic product (Omisirge) and pipeline in NK-cell oncology. Comparable to Royan's NK cell therapy glioblastoma program and ATMP commercialization model.
• CCRM Fertility (Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine): Major US fertility network known for advanced reproductive technologies including IVF, ICSI, and PGT. Closely matches Royan's mix of clinical fertility leadership and proprietary lab techniques.
• CiRA (Kyoto University Center for iPS Cell Research and Application): World-leading iPS cell research institute that, like Royan, pioneered human iPS cell production and pursues clinical translation. Direct peer in stem cell biology research leadership and regenerative medicine pipeline.
• Pluristem Therapeutics: Placenta-derived cell therapy company with allogeneic regenerative medicine pipeline. Comparable to Royan's stem cell and regenerative medicine programs in technology modality and clinical development approach.

Regional players

• inSTEM (Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, India): Government-funded stem cell and regenerative medicine research institute in Bangalore. Closely matches Royan's model of a national research institute combining stem cell science, clinical translation, and graduate training in an emerging market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Royan+Institute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royan-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/royaninfertilityclinic
• Facebookfacebook.com/Royan.Institute

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royan Institute