Clarivate

Clarivate is a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics to accelerate the pace of innovation. The company offers a comprehensive suite of intellectual property and scientific research intelligence solutions, serving governments, academia, and corporations worldwide. Its portfolio includes some of the most recognized names in bibliographic databases and patent analysis, such as the Web of Science and Derwent World Patents Index. Headquartered in London, it is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and operates across more than 100 countries.

History

The company's origins trace back to the Intellectual Property and Science business of Thomson Reuters, which was acquired by Onex Corporation and Baring Private Equity Asia in a 2016 deal valued at $3.55 billion. This acquisition led to the formation of an independent entity, which was rebranded as Clarivate Analytics later that year. A significant early component of its heritage is the Institute for Scientific Information, founded by Eugene Garfield in Philadelphia, which created the Science Citation Index, a foundational tool for bibliometrics. The company went public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company sponsored by Churchill Capital Corp in 2019, listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CLVT". In 2020, it completed the acquisition of the IP and Science business of the CPA Global group, substantially expanding its patent and trademark management capabilities.

Products and services

Clarivate's offerings are organized around three primary domains: Academia & Government, Life Sciences & Healthcare, and Intellectual Property. Its flagship platform, the Web of Science, provides access to multiple citation databases, including the Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index, which are instrumental for university rankings and research assessment exercises like the Research Excellence Framework. For patent intelligence, it maintains the Derwent World Patents Index and offers the Derwent Innovation platform for prior art search and competitive intelligence. In the life sciences sector, its Cortellis platform delivers information on drug discovery, clinical trials, and regulatory affairs, while its CompuMark suite is a leading resource for trademark screening and brand protection. Other notable services include EndNote for reference management and Publons for tracking peer review contributions.

Acquisitions and mergers

The company has grown significantly through a strategic series of acquisitions. Following its formation, a major expansion occurred with the 2020 purchase of CPA Global, a leader in IP management software and services, from Leonard Green & Partners and Cinven. In 2021, Clarivate acquired ProQuest, a global provider of library resources, educational technology, and research databases like ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, for $5.3 billion. Earlier notable transactions include the purchase of the Darts-ip global case law database in 2019 and the BioMed Central publisher's metadata assets. It also integrated the DRG Group, a healthcare data analytics firm, into its Life Sciences segment. These consolidations have broadened its data assets and extended its reach into academic library and educational markets.

Corporate affairs

Clarivate is incorporated in the United Kingdom and maintains its global headquarters in London, with principal operational offices in Philadelphia and Singapore. The company is led by Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Gear and Executive Chairman Stefano Maestri, operating under a board that includes directors from Onex Corporation and Baring Private Equity Asia. It is a constituent of the Russell 1000 Index and reports its financials in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles of the United States. The organization supports various philanthropic initiatives, often focused on STEM education and diversity in science, and partners with institutions like the National Academy of Inventors to administer awards such as the Clarivate Citation Laureates, which identify potential Nobel Prize winners.

Controversies

The company has faced scrutiny and criticism, primarily concerning the influence and commercial nature of its products in the academic publishing ecosystem. A significant controversy arose in 2018 when it delisted over 300 journals, many from Hindawi and other publishers, from the Web of Science for failing to meet its citation impact and editorial standards, actions that affected the Journal Impact Factor of those publications. Its Journal Citation Reports and the proprietary algorithm for calculating the Impact Factor have been criticized by some in the scientific community, including declarations like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment, for potentially promoting metric-driven research behavior. Furthermore, its dominant position in bibliometrics has led to debates about the privatization of essential research evaluation tools and their high subscription costs for libraries in the Global South.