COMET Initiative

Name

COMET Initiative

Legal name

COMET Initiative

Website

https://comet-initiative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Methodology

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Site Data Management Support (EDC/Source/SDV Readiness) (HLAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Data Repositories (CDR) & Longitudinal Patient Records (HLACAIAH), Patient Outcomes & PROMs Analytics (real-world outcomes tracking) (HLACAHAL), Laboratory Quality & GLP/GCLP Compliance (HLAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Core outcome sets
• Clinical trials methodology
• Outcome measurement standards
• Clinical research coordination
• Systematic review methodology

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: COMET Initiative is funded through grants from research funding bodies. Initial funding was provided by the MRC Hub for Trials Methodology Research. Subsequent funding came from MRC MRP (award MR/J004847/1), European Commission FP7 (award FP7-HEALTH-2012-INNOVATION-1), and NIHR (award NIHR200190). The initiative operates as a non-profit research coordination initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

COMET Initiative maintains a comprehensive, freely searchable online database of all studies relevant to the development of core outcome sets (COS) for use in clinical trials, regularly updated through systematic reviews. Alongside the database, COMET develops and disseminates methodological guidance standards (COS-STAD, COS-STAP, COS-STAR), the COMET Handbook, an Outcome Taxonomy for classifying outcomes, the PPI Toolkit, and free educational resources (plain language summaries, slide sets, tutorials) to support standardised outcome measurement across clinical research.

Product overview

The COMET Initiative is a research coordination and database platform offering a unified portfolio of tools, guidance standards, and educational resources for the development and uptake of core outcome sets (COS) in clinical trials. At its centre is the COMET Database — a searchable repository of COS-related studies — supported by a suite of methodological guidance products including COS-STAD, COS-STAP, and COS-STAR (reporting standards), the COMET Handbook, and an Outcome Taxonomy for classifying outcomes. Additional offerings include a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Toolkit, a COS Alerts notification service, plain language summaries, downloadable slide sets, and a COS Tutorial. The portfolio does not constitute a commercial software product but rather a collection of freely accessible research resources, guidance documents, and databases maintained by the COMET Initiative at the University of Liverpool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• COMET Database A searchable online database of all studies relevant to the development of core outcome sets (COS) for use in clinical trials, continually updated through systematic reviews. Researchers can search by disease category, population age, sex, intervention type, development method, stakeholders involved, and study type.
• COS-STAD (Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Development) A set of minimum standards for the design of a COS study, used to help users decide whether a COS is relevant and has been developed using a reasonable approach.
• COS-STAP (Core Outcome Set-STAndardised Protocol Items) A checklist of items considered essential in a COS protocol, providing standardised protocol items for COS development.
• COS-STAR (Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting) Guidance for the final reporting of COS development studies, ensuring complete and transparent reporting of COS development processes.
• COMET Handbook A comprehensive handbook bringing together current thinking and methodological research regarding COS development, implementation, evaluation and updating, recommending a four-step process to develop a COS.
• COS Alerts System A free email alerts system notifying users of newly registered or published studies in chosen health areas, with options to filter by disease category.
• Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Toolkit A toolkit designed to help core outcome set developers who are collaborating with patient research partners in designing, delivering and disseminating core outcome set studies.
• Outcome Taxonomy A taxonomy for classification of outcomes included in trials, COS, systematic reviews and trial registries, developed to assist COS developers in categorising outcomes as part of their Delphi surveys.
• Plain Language Summaries Plain language summaries explaining core outcome sets, the Delphi process, and the Nominal Group Technique, designed for patients and the public.
• Downloadable Slide Set A downloadable PowerPoint slide set highlighting why a more scientific approach to outcomes is needed, introducing core outcome sets, and outlining the COMET Initiative.
• COS Tutorial Video content featuring Paula Williamson, Chair of the COMET Management Group, discussing the importance of COS, how they are developed, and choosing a COS for a clinical trial.
• COS Tutorial Videos Video content featuring Paula Williamson, Chair of the COMET Management Group, discussing the importance of COS, how they are developed, and choosing a COS for a clinical trial. Hosted on comet-initiative.org.
• COMET Translations Resources and policies for translating COMET documents and resources into languages other than English.

Quantifiable outcome

• 337 published COS across 410 COS projects in the database
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Red Hat GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2018The Red Hat Group was formed at the COMET VII meeting in Amsterdam in 2018, comprising several initiatives related to improving choice of outcomes in health research: COMET, OMERACT, C3, GRADE, COSMIN, CDISC and SONG. The initial objective is to work together on a project to share knowledge and understanding of mechanisms to promote uptake of COS in comparative effectiveness research. WHO's 2023 guidance for best practices for clinical trials advocates for COS use, fully supported by the Red Hat Group.
• OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative focusing on core outcome measurement sets in rheumatology. Member of the Red Hat Group, collaborating on shared methodology and COS uptake initiatives.
• COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational group that develops consensus-based methodology and practical tools to select outcome measures for research and clinical practice. Member of the Red Hat Group.
• SONG Initiative (Standardised Outcomes in Nephrology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal initiative to standardise outcomes in nephrology. Member of the Red Hat Group working on COS development and uptake.
• CDISC (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationDevelops data standards for clinical research. Member of the Red Hat Group, exploring integration of COS with clinical data standards.
• CHORD COUSIN Collaboration (C3)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration focused on core outcome sets development. Member of the Red Hat Group.
• MacGRADE Centre (McMaster University)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRADE methodology center at McMaster University. Member of the Red Hat Group.
• Trialists (Professional Community)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrialists are listed as endorsers of COS and the COMET database, committing to use standardized outcomes in their clinical trials.
• Trial RegistriessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizations like ISRCTN that register clinical trials endorse COS use and are part of the COS Endorsement program.
• Regulatory Authorities (EMA, HRA, FDA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory bodies including European Medicines Agency, Health Research Authority, FDA, and SBU endorse COS use in regulated clinical trials.
• Systematic Review Groups (Cochrane)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCochrane and other systematic review groups actively work with COMET to improve core outcome sets in systematic reviews.
• Clinical Guidelines DeveloperssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizations like NICE, AWMF, and EAU that develop clinical guidelines endorse COS use to ensure recommendations are based on consistent outcomes.
• Journal Editors (CROWN, British Journal of Dermatology, JAAD)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor medical journals endorse COS reporting requirements for submitted manuscripts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology): OMERACT is an independent international initiative developing core outcome measurement sets in rheumatology and a core Red Hat Group partner alongside COMET. It is directly comparable as a peer COS-developer operating under the same consensus-based methodology model.
• COSMIN: COSMIN develops consensus-based standards for selecting outcome measurement instruments for research and clinical practice. It is a core Red Hat Group partner and a direct peer in the COS methodology ecosystem, co-founded by COMET Management Group member Caroline Terwee.
• SONG Initiative (Standardised Outcomes in Nephrology): SONG is a global initiative to standardise outcomes in nephrology and a core Red Hat Group partner. It is directly comparable to COMET as a disease-focused initiative developing and promoting COS in a specific therapeutic area using similar consensus methodology.
• CHORD COUSIN Collaboration (C3): C3 is a collaboration focused on core outcome sets development and is a core Red Hat Group partner. It is directly comparable as a peer organization developing COS methodology and promoting harmonized outcome sets, particularly for skin diseases.

Emerging players

• GRADE Working Group / MacGRADE Centre: GRADE develops frameworks for evidence synthesis and guideline development and is a core Red Hat Group partner through MacGRADE at McMaster. It overlaps with COMET in the COS uptake pathway, particularly in evidence synthesis and clinical guidelines, but focuses on certainty of evidence rather than outcome selection.
• CDISC (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium): CDISC develops data standards for clinical research and is a Red Hat Group member. It is a partial-overlap peer, intersecting with COMET where COS map onto clinical data standards, but CDISC's core focus is data structure and submission formats, not outcome selection.
• EQUATOR Network: EQUATOR Network improves the reliability and value of health research literature by promoting transparent reporting guidelines (similar in spirit to COMET's COS-STAD/COS-STAP/COS-STAR). It is a partial-overlap peer in the research-methodology standards ecosystem but focuses on reporting rather than outcome selection.
• ICHOM (International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement): ICHOM develops standardized outcome sets (Standard Sets) for value-based healthcare, with a stronger clinical-practice and routine-care orientation than COMET. It is a partial-overlap peer addressing the same underlying problem of outcome heterogeneity but serving providers and payers rather than trialists.

Regional players

• Cochrane Collaboration: Cochrane produces systematic reviews and is listed as an endorser and active collaborator with COMET on COS in systematic reviews. It is comparable as a global evidence-synthesis network that relies on standardized outcomes, but its core activity is review production, not COS development.

Others

• ClinicalTrials.gov: ClinicalTrials.gov is the largest public registry of clinical trials and a Red Hat Group-relevant infrastructure layer. It is adjacent rather than directly comparable: it tracks trial registration and outcomes reporting, while COMET defines what those outcomes should be.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COMETinitiative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about COMET Initiative