Confidence for your product, business development and marketing decisions
The more you listen to life science researchers, the more varied their needs turn out to be. You cannot meet them all, so your team debates which ones to prioritize and picks a direction. Yet even after narrowing it down, it can be hard to feel truly sure. Was that the right call? That small doubt slows down the next move, and in a market you cannot observe first-hand, such as Japan, it is even harder to shake.
Every department feels it. Product development worries that an ambitious spec sheet will miss what researchers actually wanted. Business development fears investing in technology nobody needs. Marketing dreads spending budget on campaigns that miss the mark. We understand that pressure. BioSurvey adds quantitative data and objective insight to your experience, so you can say with confidence that your strategy is the right one.
BioSurvey
We survey the market for the full range of research tools, including instruments, reagents, consumables and contract services, and deliver information that helps life science businesses grow.
In practice, we invite life science researchers registered with us, many of them opinion leaders in their fields, to answer a questionnaire designed for your project. We process the answers statistically, analyze them with AI, and deliver a report that guides your next steps.
What is changing in the lab
Research trends that are easy to miss
New directions in research methods
Changing demands on research tools
New criteria for choosing research tools
Market shifts you cannot afford to miss
Changes in how researchers choose products
How competing products are evolving
New market opportunities
The questions each department faces
Marketing
How are researchers’ selection criteria changing?
Where can we differentiate from competitors?
How should we optimize our promotion strategy?
Business development
How can new research trends feed product development?
Where are the market opportunities, before others see them?
How are researcher needs shifting?
Product development
What does the lab really need?
Which specifications should come first?
Where should the next generation of products go?
What makes BioSurvey different
A database of life science researchers willing to take part
Researchers from academia and from companies such as pharmaceutical and biotech firms
Most respondents are involved in purchasing decisions
For each survey we invite only researchers who fit the theme
Students, including graduate students, are not included
Researchers’ candid opinions
We run surveys as a neutral party, without naming the client
Interviews are available in addition to the questionnaire (optional)
Insight from users of competing products, too
Support from planning to analysis
Experienced consultants support every stage of the research
Our own AI, BioSurvey Assistant, helps design the questionnaire
Executive reports based on the survey data are available
What BioSurvey gives you
Early warning of shifts in research trends
Clear points of differentiation from competitors
Product development based on what researchers really need
In the fiercely competitive life science industry, BioSurvey delivers the insight your business depends on. Leave user research on scientific instruments, research reagents, consumables and contract services to a team that has done it for years.
Why clients choose BioSurvey
Questionnaire design with purpose-built AI
Questionnaire design is critical to getting the insight you need. We developed our own survey design AI, BioSurvey Assistant, so we can quickly build a logical questionnaire tailored to your questions.
The BioSurvey Assistant screen
Consultants from questionnaire review to analysis
We have run research for life science tool companies for many years and have built up the know-how that comes with it. A questionnaire also needs a storyline that flows. Our experienced consultants learn what you need and help you complete the questionnaire, so you can hand the project over with confidence.
Neutral, reliable data
Because we never reveal the client’s company or product names, the data is free of brand bias. Reports center on tabulated numbers, so the findings are precise rather than vague.
Reach across user segments
Responses come from academia and from companies such as pharmaceutical and biotech firms, so you can see how trends differ by type of organization.
Packages for overseas companies
Entering Japan: go-to-market intelligence
Reduce the uncertainty of entering the Japanese market and build an entry strategy on data.
Market feasibility: is there real demand for your product in Japan? We measure demand, current product use and unmet needs so you can estimate a realistic market size.
Competitive landscape: who are your main competitors in Japan, and what are their strengths and weaknesses? Define a clear, defensible position.
Pricing and channels: how price-sensitive are Japanese researchers, and how do they prefer to buy?
Concept testing: will your product resonate in Japan? We test appeal, usability and perceived value with target users and flag localization needs before launch.
Already in Japan: market performance
See the market realities that distributors can obscure, and find ways to grow faster.
Brand health check: awareness, usage and brand image against competitors.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty: what drives satisfaction, where to improve products and support, and what could make customers leave.
Distributor performance: an objective, end-user view of your distributor’s sales activity, technical support and information.
Demand for new products and services: your customers’ emerging research challenges and their interest in your pipeline.
For market research firms: your fieldwork partner in Japan
If you are running a multi-country study and need life science researchers in Japan, we can take on the Japanese part of the project.
Respondents who are hard to reach: working life science researchers in academia and industry, invited according to your screening criteria.
Questionnaires fielded in Japanese: we localize your questionnaire for Japanese researchers, with scientific terminology handled by staff who know the field.
Interviews: in-depth interviews with Japanese researchers on request.
Your client stays confidential: we never name the sponsor to respondents.
Clean deliverables: response data without personally identifiable information, with respondents’ organization names available as a separate list.
Project communication is in English. Send us your study outline and target respondents and we will tell you what is feasible in Japan.
Brand image of genetic analysis instrument suppliers
Usage trends in quantitative PCR instruments
Use of custom oligonucleotide synthesis services
Use of biochemical reagents
Genome research trends and demand for next-generation sequencers
Demand for antibody production tools (antibody purification columns) to inform sales strategy
Development of a new cell biology research instrument
User trends in cell sorting and cell analysis
Demand for cell culture reagents
Brand recall for bio research tools
Development of a glycobiology research service
Endotoxin testing
Life science research reagents, and more
And many more projects besides.
What clients say
"The survey conducted by BioAssociates provided insights beyond our expectations and served as a springboard for new marketing initiatives. With the BioSurvey Passport, we can run unlimited surveys annually, with seamless support from question design to reporting. BioAssociates’ deep expertise in the life science industry is invaluable, offering highly relevant advice and insights. The data obtained clarified internal challenges, leading to actionable improvements." - Marketing Manager, Global Reagent Manufacturer
“We ran BioSurvey to shape the marketing strategy for our antibody production business. Needs among bio researchers that we had only sensed vaguely became clear on several points. Unlike an ordinary questionnaire, the cross-tabulated data from a carefully designed survey showed how individual items related to one another, so we could make sense of users’ complex needs. Based on the results, we switched our product concept to match the top user needs and ran promotions that delivered results. The survey also showed that the needs we had assumed during development were off, so we could correct the concept and the direction of development early. BioSurvey has proved extremely effective for both our product development and our sales strategy.” – CEO, antibody technology venture
“We use BioAssociates’ market research regularly, mainly to gauge how far existing products have penetrated the market and how large the market for new products is. The bio researchers we target guard the originality of their work and tend to say little, so information on their purchasing behavior has been far harder to collect than in other industries. A research firm we used before struggled to recruit respondents; the sample was tiny and the price high for what we got. BioAssociates has its own panel and can collect a sample large enough for statistical analysis in a short time, and the sample’s profile closely matches the population. We make a point of visiting customers and talking with them directly, and the impressions we get there are remarkably close to the survey results. We could hardly build our marketing strategy without BioAssociates now.” – Business Development Manager, regenerative medicine venture
"In recent years, the use of gene analysis-related products in basic research has grown exponentially, accompanied by a noticeable increase in market competition. To understand customer purchasing behaviors when selecting products among many similar options, we conducted a BioSurvey. The results aligned with our previous sales activities but also revealed unexpected findings from the manufacturer’s perspective. These insights provided a new angle for developing our marketing strategies.
Additionally, we gained valuable insights into effective approaches to engage customers—something challenging to uncover through regular sales interactions. One noteworthy section, 'Services Expected from Suppliers,' provided detailed open-ended responses, offering a window into customer-specific needs and expectations. This level of detailed feedback highlighted not only the quality of sampling but also the seriousness of respondents' intent, making the survey's value clear.
The extensive feedback we received helped us refine our new proposal strategies, address potential issues preemptively, and significantly improve our product management processes. Simply obtaining this level of information makes BioSurvey worthwhile. Integrating these findings into our broader analysis allows for even more comprehensive strategies. We plan to continue leveraging this service, both to inform strategic shifts and as a critical tool for our ongoing market evaluations." - Marketing Department, Global Gene Analysis Manufacturer, S.
BioSurvey FAQ
We have never written a questionnaire. Can you help?
The key to a successful survey is a logically structured questionnaire, both questions and answer options. We have surveyed life science researchers for many years, built that know-how into an AI made for survey design, and established a workflow that turns your business questions into a questionnaire. First-time clients are very welcome.
Will you advise us while we write the questionnaire?
Yes. Questionnaire design is critical to getting useful insight from the results. We learn what you need and help you design a questionnaire that delivers it.
Are respondents’ contact details included in the deliverables?
No. To protect personal information and avoid conflicts of interest, we remove anything that identifies individuals and deliver the results only. Respondents’ organization names can be provided as a separate list, unlinked from their answers. If you would like to meet researchers who are willing to help evaluate or develop products, we can arrange that through a separate program.
What is the difference between surveying our own customer list and using BioSurvey?
Useful insight requires answers free of bias. That means a balanced respondent panel and a neutral party running the survey. BioSurvey never reveals the client’s name, and benchmarking against competitors in particular needs an independent third party, because a company surveying for itself cannot collect accurate data.
Can BioSurvey estimate a realistic market size?
Yes. Market size here means the revenue you would have if you held 100% share today. BioSurvey collects quantitative data from end users (bottom-up), which gives a more realistic figure than estimates built from interviews with suppliers (top-down).
Do you work with market research firms as a subcontractor?
Yes. We field the Japanese part of multi-country studies among life science researchers, without naming the end client. See “For market research firms” above, or contact us with your study outline.
Plans
Single survey
Pay as you go: ideal for a single, small-scale survey. Pricing depends on the number of respondents and questions.
BioSurvey Passport
An annual plan with unlimited surveys of up to 30 questions each* for a fixed fee**, for organizations that run several or larger surveys.
*Excluding standard profile questions. **Respondent incentives are billed separately.
Related book
We have published a Kindle e-book (in Japanese), The Complete Guide to Scientific Marketing Research: Life Science Tools, on effective market research techniques for research tool companies.
Opens the Amazon Japan page in a new window.
The guide covers survey methods for the life science tool business and how R&D, marketing and customer support teams can use the results. It is also written for companies about to enter the life science tool business in earnest.
Getting started
Step 1: Free consultation (video call)
Tell us about your challenge. In a call of about an hour, we learn about the business questions you face and what you want the research to achieve.
Step 2: Draft research plan
A concrete path to answers. Based on the call, we prepare and present a draft research plan for you.
Step 3: Scope and quote
Options that fit your budget and goals. Once the direction is set, we propose the scale of the survey and a quote to match.
The BioSurvey brochure (PDF) is available on request.
