RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — Cato Research

, a contract research organization based in RTP, has signed a collaborative research agreement with an Austrian firm.

Cato Research and JSW-Research Forschungslabor GmbH will expand their operations across the European Union and Eastern Europe.

As part of the deal, Cato BioVentures, the venture capital arm of Cato Research, has taken an undisclosed ownership in JSW.

JSW is focused on researching of therapeutics for treatment of central nervous systems disorders.

The companies have worked together in the past on numerous clinical trials.

"Our collaboration with JSW is another critical component in our global strategic plan. Our goal is to offer a comprehensive portfolio of essential CRO services to our sponsors worldwide," said Allen Cato, co-founder and chief executive officer of Cato Research. "By partnering with JSW-Research, we have now extended our reach into two more important markets and strengthened our capabilities in the ever-growing CNS drug development arena. Likewise, JSW will be able to leverage our strong presence in the U.S., Canada, Israel, and South Africa across multiple therapeutic areas."