A
contract research organization (CRO) is an organization that provides support to the
pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, and medical device industries in the form of research services
outsourced on a contract basis. A CRO may provide such services as biopharmaceutical development, biologic assay development, commercialization,
preclinical research,
clinical research, clinical trials management, and
pharmacovigilance. CROs also support foundations, research institutions, and universities, in addition to governmental organizations (such as the
NIH,
EMA, etc.).