CTN PLUS

What CTN PLUS does

CTN+ (CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research) is a non-profit, government-funded clinical trials research network founded in 1989 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The organization coordinates the design, conduct, and dissemination of equitable, community-informed clinical trials focused on HIV and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) across all regions of Canada. Its operational structure comprises five Regional Teams (BC & Yukon, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic), four scientific Think Tanks (Prevention & Testing, Treatment & Management, Cure & Immunotherapies, Methods), a Community-Centred Knowledge Mobilization Hub, a Resource Library, a Research Toolbox, and a Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. CTN+ supports more than 100 clinical trials and has produced hundreds of peer-reviewed publications over its 30+ year history.

CTN+'s core "products" are research facilitation services, knowledge mobilization tools, and educational programs. The Community-Centred Knowledge Mobilization Hub produces knowledge tools and disseminates research findings to a broad stakeholder base; the Resource Library hosts documents, videos, and training materials; the Research Toolbox provides planning tools for researchers developing new projects; and the Community Science Champion Program offers a free six-module online course in clinical trials for community members with lived experience. The Metadata Project provides a standardized variable classification system across 35 domains to improve data reusability. The network is led by National Director Dr. Marina Klein with National Co-Directors Dr. Sharon Walmsley and Dr. Aslam Anis, alongside community leadership representation on the Executive Committee.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. CTN+ derives the bulk of its operating revenue from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Infection & Immunity through Phase 2 grants, with additional project-specific funding from pharmaceutical partners such as Gilead Sciences (for the Community Science Champion Program). The organization does not operate a commercial pricing model and provides access to its research infrastructure, resources, and knowledge mobilization tools free of charge to eligible researchers and community members. Go-to-market is community-led: CTN+ engages researchers, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and people living with HIV through a multi-channel approach spanning regional teams, a website portal, a quarterly newsletter, social media, the annual CAHR conference, and the Community Science Champion Program. CTN+ is institutionally affiliated with McGill University Health Centre (hosting the National Centre) and maintains strategic partnerships with CANFAR, CATIE, Ribbon Community, Treatment Action Group, and Cochrane.

Name

CTN PLUS

Legal name

CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research

Website

https://ctnplus.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CTN+ is a Canadian non-profit, government-funded clinical trials research network coordinating HIV and STBBI research across Canada through five regional teams, scientific think tanks, and a community-centred knowledge mobilization hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Trials Research Network

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA), Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN), Decentralized/Hybrid Trial Enablement (DCT) Platforms (HLACAOAL)

Keywords

• Clinical trials research
• HIV research network
• STBBI clinical trials
• Knowledge mobilization
• Community-engaged research

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: CTN+ receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Infection & Immunity for Phase 2 grants supporting inclusive, community-engaged clinical trials in HIV and other STBBIs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CTN+ coordinates and facilitates HIV and STBBI clinical trials across Canada through five regional teams (BC & Yukon, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic) and four scientific Think Tanks (Prevention & Testing, Treatment & Management, Cure & Immunotherapies, Methods). The network operates a Community-Centred Knowledge Mobilization Hub, Resource Library, and Research Toolbox, and runs a Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and Community Science Champion Program (CSCP) for community members. All offerings are provided free of charge under a CIHR-funded non-profit research model.

Product overview

CTN+ is a pan-Canadian clinical research network that serves as a unified platform for HIV and STBBI research coordination. The network comprises Regional Teams (BC & Yukon, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic), four scientific Think Tanks (Prevention & Testing, Treatment & Management, Cure & Immunotherapies, Methods), a Knowledge Mobilization Hub, a Resource Library, and a Research Toolbox. These components work together to facilitate equitable, community-informed clinical trials research across all regions of Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community-Centred Knowledge Mobilization Hub: A diverse group of academics, community members, and creatives working together to facilitate community-centered approaches in research and knowledge mobilization
• Community Science Champion Program (CSCP)
• Think Tanks

Products and services

• Clinical Trials Research Facilitation

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful funding of Phase 2 grants from CIHR Institute of Infection & Immunity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution hosting the CTN+ National Centre, providing institutional infrastructure and research expertise.
• CANFAR (Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on career opportunities and fundraising initiatives related to HIV research in Canada.
• CATIE (Canada's source for HIV and hepatitis C information)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for harm reduction knowledge mobilization, providing educational resources and training for service providers.
• Ribbon CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner for finance and administration positions supporting HIV community work in Vancouver, BC.
• Treatment Action Group (TAG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on the annual Pipeline Report covering HIV, HCV, and TB research and development innovations.
• CochraneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides systematic review educational videos and resources for patients, healthcare professionals, and students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• NEAT ID Foundation: European Network for AIDS Clinical Trials, conducting industry-sponsored HIV clinical trials across European sites. Comparable multi-site HIV clinical trials mission but operates in a different geography than CTN+'s Canada-only footprint.

Broad incumbents

• amfAR (Foundation for AIDS Research): A leading global nonprofit funder of HIV/AIDS research, supporting cure-focused science, public policy, and advocacy. Comparable as a major disease-specific HIV nonprofit, but broader in scope and primarily a funder rather than a trial operator.

Direct peers

• IMPAACT Network: International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network, NIH-funded and focused on HIV in pregnant people, children, and adolescents. Comparable clinical trials network structure serving overlapping key populations and using similar scientific working group models.
• AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG): The largest HIV clinical trials network globally, funded by the US NIH. Conducts multi-site clinical trials on HIV treatment, cure, and comorbidities — directly comparable to CTN+ in mission, structure, and scientific scope, but with a US/international footprint.
• INSIGHT Network: International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials, an NIH-funded global HIV clinical trials network conducting large-scale studies on treatment optimization and COVID-19 in HIV. Directly comparable multi-site clinical trials model.
• HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN): NIH-funded global network dedicated to HIV prevention research, including vaccines, microbicides, PrEP, and behavioral interventions. Directly comparable to CTN+'s Prevention & Testing Think Tank mission and multi-site clinical trial model.

Emerging players

• Treatment Action Group (TAG): Independent AIDS research and policy think tank that collaborates on the annual HIV/HCV/TB Pipeline Report with CTN+. Comparable in HIV research mobilization focus, but operates as a think tank rather than a clinical trials network.

Others

• CIHR Institute of Infection & Immunity: Primary federal funder of CTN+ and Canada's federal hub for infection and immunity research funding. Not a peer in the operational sense but adjacent as the upstream funder whose priorities shape CTN+'s research agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/cihr_ctn
• Facebookfacebook.com/CIHR.CTN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cihr-canadian-hiv-trials-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/cihr_ctn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CTN PLUS