# Life science market research with free public data, step by step

A life science supplier can run its own market research on five free public databases. ClinicalTrials.gov and the EU clinical trials website show who is developing what, the EMA lists authorised medicines, CORDIS shows who is doing EU-funded research and Eurostat shows trade flows. For the study to support a decision and be cited by Google and AI answers, it has to state the source, download date, filters and method.

[Web version](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/life-science-market-research-free-data/)

By David Monje, crida studio · Published 2026-11-05 · Updated 2026-11-05

## Which market questions public registries can answer

A public registry answers questions you can count. How many trials there are for a modality in a country, which companies hold biosimilar authorisations, which research groups work with bioreactors or which countries buy the most of a product. For a bioprocess equipment maker, a consumables supplier, a CDMO or a distributor, those answers show where the activity is and who is worth talking to.

No registry will tell you why a customer would buy or what they think of your competitors. That takes interviews, distributors and a close look at the competition, which we cover in the guide to [market analysis for new equipment](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/market-analysis-new-lab-equipment/).

## Five free databases and the question each one answers

The five databases that help a supplier in this sector most are free and can be downloaded. Each one answers a different question and comes in its own format. The table sums up what you will find in each, so you can pick by the question you have.

Free public registries for life science market research, based on what each website says.

| Registry | What it answers | What you find | Format |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | Who runs trials, on what and where | Studies by condition, intervention, sponsor, location and status | API with JSON or CSV |
| EU clinical trials website (CTIS) | Which trials are running in Europe | Trials in the EU and EEA since 31 January 2022 | Public search with CSV download |
| EMA | Which medicines are authorised in the EU and who holds them | Centrally authorised medicines, orphan designations and supply shortages | Excel updated overnight, plus JSON |
| CORDIS | Who does what research with Horizon Europe funding | Projects, participating organisations, topics, deliverables and publications | CSV, XLSX, JSON and XML, monthly |
| Eurostat Comext | Which countries buy and sell each product | Trade in goods for the EU and many non-EU countries | Monthly and annual CSV files since 1988 |


### Do I need to code to do market research with public data?

Not always. The EMA publishes its tables in Excel and CORDIS in CSV and XLSX, and both can be filtered in a spreadsheet. ClinicalTrials.gov also returns results as CSV. A short Python script helps when you want to repeat the count every month with the same filters.

## ClinicalTrials.gov and CTIS show who is developing what

ClinicalTrials.gov has a public REST API, now at version 2, that returns the studies matching a query and a set of filters. You can search by condition, intervention, sponsor or location, filter by status and get the results as JSON or CSV. With the countTotal parameter, the API also returns the total number of studies for the query.

For Europe, the EU clinical trials website, which runs on the CTIS system, holds information on trials in the EU and the European Economic Area since 31 January 2022. Trials started before then are in the EU Clinical Trials Register. You can download search results as CSV and follow a search by RSS.

One worked example is our count of [monoclonal antibody trials in Europe](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/monoclonal-antibody-clinical-trials-europe-2026/), based on a dated ClinicalTrials.gov download with stated filters. A late-stage trial is not a purchase order, but it can mean the sponsor is already thinking about scale-up and manufacturing capacity.

## EMA, CORDIS and Eurostat for medicines, research and trade

The EMA publishes downloadable tables of centrally authorised medicines, orphan designations and medicine shortages, among others. The website refreshes them overnight and also offers its content in JSON. With the medicines table you can count biosimilars by molecule, by marketing authorisation holder and by year.

CORDIS releases Horizon Europe project data every month, with participating organisations, topics, deliverables, publications and report summaries. It warns that the files may not fully match the live website. It is the basis of our count of [bioprocess projects in Horizon Europe](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/horizon-europe-bioprocess-projects/) by country and type of organisation.

Eurostat's Comext database covers trade in goods for the EU, its member states and many non-EU countries, with monthly and annual CSV files going back to January 1988. For a distributor or an exporter, it shows which countries buy the most of a product family.


### Can I publish a count based on these registries on my website?

It depends on each registry's terms. CORDIS, for example, publishes its data under the European Commission reuse notice. For the others, read the terms of use before you publish. In every case, cite the source and the download date and link to the original registry so anyone can check the figures.

## How to make your count reproducible

A count is only worth something if someone else can repeat it and get the same number. So write everything down while you work, not at the end. When someone in sales or management asks where a figure comes from, the answer should be a specific query run on a specific date.

The method paragraph should also state the limits. A trial that does not use your search term will not show up, one project can count in several countries and the current year is incomplete. Stating the limits makes readers trust the figure and stops anyone using it for something it does not show.

- The exact source, with the registry name and the download or API address
- The download date, because registries change daily or monthly
- The filters and search terms, copied exactly as you used them
- A method paragraph saying what was counted and what was left out
- The published data, such as the list of identifiers or a CSV with the chart rows

![Two people work at computers in an office with wooden walls, papers and a calculator on the desk](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/equip-oficina-analisi-dades-mercat.66bf500f9e6a.webp)

An office, in a photo TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions published on Unsplash. A count anyone can repeat starts with writing down the source, the date and the filters.
TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions / Unsplash — https://unsplash.com/photos/SEda8hsDZjM


### How often should the study be updated?

It depends on the registry and on the decision it supports. The EMA refreshes its tables overnight and CORDIS releases files monthly, but a market study does not need to keep that pace. For most suppliers, repeating it once a year or before a major trade show is enough, as long as the method stays the same.

## Publish the study so Google and AI answers can cite it

A study of your own, published on your website, does two jobs. Internally, it helps you choose markets, accounts and messages. Externally, it is original content with a specific figure, a method and downloadable data, the kind of page that search engines and AI answers can cite as a source. That is why it is part of [our SEO work](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/services/search-engine-optimisation/).

The page should give the main figure in its first sentence, with its base, and explain how it was counted in a section of its own. Add a chart with the same figures, the download date and a CSV. If you repeat it every year with the same method, you can compare years and the page stays current.

At crida studio we run these studies as part of our [marketing for biotech, bioprocess and pharma companies](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/services/biotech-bioprocess-pharma-marketing/). We choose the question with the sales team, download and count the data, write up the method and publish the page in Catalan, Spanish and English. We do not promise rankings or citations, because they depend on Google, AI tools and the competition.

## References

- [ClinicalTrials.gov, REST API version 2](https://clinicaltrials.gov/data-api/api)
- [EU clinical trials website, CTIS, search tips and guidance](https://euclinicaltrials.eu/search-tips-and-guidance/)
- [European Medicines Agency, download medicine data](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/download-medicine-data)
- [data.europa.eu, CORDIS, EU research projects under Horizon Europe 2021-2027](https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/cordis-eu-research-projects-under-horizon-europe-2021-2027)
- [Eurostat, international trade in goods database, Comext](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/international-trade-in-goods/database)

## The crida perspective

We are a marketing, brand and technology studio based in Girona. We bring identity, content and development together so a digital experience makes sense from beginning to end.

crida studio, Caldes de Malavella (Girona, Spain). David Monje, founder and director.

## Want to publish your own study with public data?

Tell us what you sell, who you sell to and which market question worries you. We will look at which registries can answer it and how to turn the count into a page your sales team can use.

[Talk about your study](https://www.crida.studio/en/#contact)

## More on web design

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- [EMA-approved biosimilars list. Which molecules and which years](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/ema-approved-biosimilars-2026/)
- [Cell and gene therapy clinical trials in Spain in 2026](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/cell-gene-therapy-trials-spain-2026/)
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