Catalyst Clinical Research, the US-based MNC has started its office in Kochi with Kerala Industry Minister P Rajeev inaugurating the state-of-the-art facility at Infopark. The data analyst firm has plans to train 200 employees in two years.
The North Carolina-based Catalyst is engaged in clinical data analysis and prepares reports for firms across the globe. The company made inroads into Kerala by acquiring a start-up Genpro Research in Thiruvananthapuram six months back.
Catalyst also has plans to start operations in Thiruvananthapuram soon, Catalyst Senior Vice-President Sachin Marulkar said. In India, the company has another centre in Baroda offering opportunities to graduates in pharmaceuticals and statistics.
Catalyst COO Niklas Morton said Kerala is the place that provides the best professionals in data analytics. “To begin with, our facility here will have 50 employees. In a couple of years, we will raise the number to 200,” he added.
Kerala Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika, who is a Co-founder of Genpro, said Catalyst provides scientific reports on research conducted by pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and institutions involved in clinical research. “What we need here is the capacity for statistical analysis, for which one has to excel in pharmaceuticals. The required knowledge is beyond just software. We are making efforts to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into the field.”
With 170-plus clients the world over, Catalyst has so far prepared more than 900 clinical trial reports.