Westat

Westat is a long-established, employee-owned research and professional services firm headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. It operates primarily as a contractor for U.S. federal agencies (such as NIH, AHRQ) and other institutions, applying statistical, epidemiological, and data science expertise to inform policy and program improvements. The company has developed WesLytics, a data analytics platform built on Databricks, to manage and derive insights from large-scale, complex data. While not a traditional biotech developing therapeutics, Westat is a key player in the research infrastructure supporting public health, digital health, and clinical trials through its services in biostatistics, survey design, and health policy analysis.

WesLytics: A data analytics and engineering platform built on Databricks, enhanced with Westat's subject matter and methodological expertise for managing, engineering, and analyzing complex data sets. Includes capabilities in NLP, machine learning, and robust data governance.

Westat competes with other large government contractors and research institutes (e.g., RTI International, Abt Associates, Booz Allen Hamilton) for federal research and analytics contracts. Its differentiation lies in its deep, sector-specific subject matter expertise (especially in health survey research) combined with its WesLytics technology platform.