28 July 2025 – Boston, MA; Staffordshire, UK, Instem is excited to announce that as of today it has closed on an acquisition of RockStep Solutions. RockStep is the provider of Climb™, a cloud-based software solution for non-GLP preclinical study management.
The acquisition of RockStep enables Instem to now provide an integrated solution of both Provantis®, Instem’s market-leading solution for GLP preclinical study management, and Climb. The combined solution will offer best-in-class GLP study management design with the flexibility to support non-GLP studies and will be the most comprehensive and advanced software for any type of facility engaged in preclinical research. This fusion of products and technologies expands the Instem solution suite to manage breeding, handling, moving, or genotyping animals, subject census management, study design, PK/PD analysis, pathology management, necropsy, study data visualization features, and more.
“At Instem, our mission is to help our customers make discoveries, and to accelerate and advance their research programs. The acquisition of RockStep and integration of Climb into our Provantis platform strengthens this commitment, enabling a fully connected, end-to-end environment that spans from early discovery through non-GLP and GLP study management to regulatory submission. By unifying these workflows under one provider, we help reduce risk, eliminate inefficiencies, and drive greater scientific and operational impact across the preclinical R&D lifecycle.” Vik Krishnan, CEO, Instem.
The acquisition of RockStep adds many new large and industry-leading customers in the pharmaceutical and CRO spaces.
Instem and RockStep together form the most experienced and talented team dedicated to the management and analysis of preclinical research data. The solution suite is significantly expanded to assemble a complete enterprise system for preclinical study management, tracking all aspects of breeding, census, veterinary procedures, study design and execution, including PK/PD analysis, along with data visualization and analytics. Climb offers a technologically advanced, flexible platform for non-GLP study designs and facilitates vivarium management, including animal health tracking and real-time alerts. This combined solution suite unifies teams and acts as a data hub, allowing scientists and lab staff to collaborate and communicate from anywhere. Large Pharma, Biotech, and CROs need flexibility and the ability to operate across different workstreams, studies, research types, and disease areas, which Instem is now able to offer through the combination of Provantis and Climb.
About Instem
Instem is a leading supplier of SaaS platforms across Discovery, Study Management, Regulatory Submission and Clinical Trial Analytics. Instem applications are in use by customers worldwide, meeting the rapidly expanding needs of life science and healthcare organizations for data-driven decision making leading to safer, more effective products.
Founded in the United Kingdom in 1969, Instem has deep roots internationally across North America, EMEA and APAC. Instem maintains a commercial and technical presence throughout these regions, and we pride ourselves on localized support for our diverse client base.
About RockStep Solutions, Inc.
RockStep Solutions was founded in 2013 by Chuck Donnelly, a software engineer with experience working for life sciences companies, and Julie Morrison, a microbiology scientist. Since these early beginnings, RockStep has maintained a strong commitment to innovation, today partnering with Microsoft to integrate advanced technologies in the Azure cloud into our industry-leading Climb™ software. Launched in 2017, Climb has been adopted by a wide range of life sciences innovators – from global pharmaceutical companies and CROs to biotech organizations, government labs, a Nobel Laureate’s lab at UCSF, and research labs at The Jackson Laboratory.
Learn more about RockStep here: https://www.rockstepsolutions.com/
Press Contact
Mike Thurogood, VP Global Marketing, Instem: [email protected]
