Resident in the spotlight: Archer Research

This time we turn our sights to BioVille resident Archer Research, a “Contract Research Organization” (CRO). They help companies (industry) and healthcare professionals (researchers and physicians) with their clinical research for medical devices.

Archer Research was founded in 2013 and contributes to numerous studies in Belgium. They also have tons of experience abroad, including the Netherlands, Germany, and France. “We’re going through some serious growth at the moment and are expanding our expertise into other European countries,” says Karen Gabriëls, Clinical Research Manager.

Archer Research specializes in clinical research specifically for medical devices. Karen Gabriëls: “Our clients are medical device manufacturers for vascular surgery, abdominal surgery, interventional neuroradiology, and cardiology, among others.”

This specialization has only become more relevant due to recent changes in legislation. These days, much more high-quality clinical data needs to be collected before putting medical devices onto the market or keeping them there. Moreover, inspections have become much stricter.

Archer fills an increasingly fundamental role in the medical device industry. “Without us, manufacturers would spend much more time and resources to verify that their devices are safe and effective. That’s because we are specialized – unlike the big pharma CRO’s. We are small-scale in a ‘good’ way: personal, flexible, and focused on a tailored approach.”

Challenges

However, Karen also sees challenges: “This new legislation is complex. There’s still a lot of work to be done at the European level. We have to – and want to – be pioneers in a sense. That makes it challenging at times but also interesting.” With five employees, Archer Research has a small but strong team. Karen: “I work with a close-knit and driven team. We are well attuned to each other and believe in what we do. We want to grow, also the workforce, but at the same time remain flexible and personal. Our ambitions are towards the matter at stake, not driven purely by size.

BioVille: the perfect match

It’s no coincidence that Archer Research operates out of BioVille: “There are many medtech and biotech companies here, all of which can use our help. We’re relevant for both post-market and startups. We want to grow – and our residency at Bioville can support that grow,” says Karen.

“Other advantages of BioVille? The centralized location in the Euregion, the green surroundings, the events, the network, and the feeling of being part of a real community. These make it a joy coming into work,” she concludes.