Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions). We'll go first to Steven Crowley, Craig-Hallum Capital Group.
Steven Crowley - Craig-Hallum Capital Group
Good morning, gentlemen.
Dick Braun
Good morning, Steve.
Steven Crowley - Craig-Hallum Capital Group
Not a stuff to talk about, maybe I could hit a couple of things and then I'll hop back in the queue. First of all, Dick, you mentioned having had some success down the stretch end of the year in terms of renewing some contracts with major customers in CTS and landing some new ones.
You referenced, I believe $5.5 million of signed contracts in the business going into 2008. Can you give us some feel for where you were a year ago, so we have some frame of reference on that $5.5 million, it sounds pretty good, but maybe you could give us where you were 12 months ago?
Dick Braun
I don't have a precise number in front of me, but as I recall, it was $3.5 million.
Steven Crowley - Craig-Hallum Capital Group
Okay, so rather significant jump there, which should bode well for that business. Now your ability to garner these preferred partner or provider relationships. Maybe if Jim is on the call, maybe you could provide us with a little bit of color as to why you are able to do that and what that really means. It sounds good, but maybe you could populate that for us.
Jim Schoonover
Well, just very briefly, these generally are companies that we've had a successful relationship with over the last two to three years. They are looking for a laboratory of our size where they can get a bit more service and more collaborative partnership type activity versus just simply having a project based relationship with some of the larger labs.
So in both cases this was something that was sort of a natural fit over a period of time as their needs became more obvious to them they approached us and we were certainly extremely happy to enter into that type of partnership relationship and we hope we can do this with other companies also.
Steven Crowley - Craig-Hallum Capital Group
And is the nature of the signed contracts you have this year very similar type business or is it more run rate business less project business what can you talk about composition?
Jim Schoonover
The only thing I would say that's different from a year ago is it's probably a little bit more balanced between our project oriented business and what we call clinic or ongoing central lab services business. The central lab services is more basic chemistry work done for individuals enrolled in trials versus the R&D type business, which was very heavy in 2007 is probably a little bit more above a reasonable relationship between the two going into 2008.
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