FinnGen

What FinnGen does

FinnGen is a Finnish academic-industry genomic research consortium launched in 2017 and coordinated by the University of Helsinki through the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). The project has collected and correlated genome and longitudinal health data from more than 500,000 Finnish biobank donors - approximately 10% of the Finnish population - combining genotype information with lifelong national health registry data (Kanta laboratory records, clinical endpoints, etc.). It is governed as a public-private partnership, with funding sourced from Business Finland (formerly Tekes, 20M EUR) and up to 39M EUR from international pharmaceutical industry partners including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Genentech/Roche, MSD, Pfizer, GSK, Sanofi, Janssen, Novartis, and Boehringer Ingelheim. FinnGen is not a separate legal entity and generates no commercial revenue.

The core platform combines multi-omics data integration (genotypes, proteomics via Olink and SomaLogic, metabolomics via Metabolon and NMR, whole-exome sequencing, single-cell RNA/ATAC sequencing) with phenotype and clinical chemistry data, processed on Google Cloud infrastructure hosted in Europe. The Data Freeze cadence (now at Freeze 13) ships summary statistics covering >21.3M genetic variants and >2,750 health endpoints to the research community. Researcher-facing products include the PheWeb and Risteys web browsers, the FinnGen Handbook, the certified FinnGen Sandbox secure operating environment, and meta-analysis browsers combining FinnGen with UK Biobank data.

The business model is non-commercial: FinnGen operates as an open-science research resource, returning genome data to Finnish biobanks and releasing summary statistics publicly with a one-year delay per consortium agreement. Revenue is structurally zero; the program is sustained by government research grants and pharmaceutical industry sponsorship in exchange for early access to findings and drug target insights. Customer segments are academic research institutions (primary), pharmaceutical R&D organizations (primary funders and target-validation users), national healthcare systems (downstream beneficiaries), and Finnish biobanks (operational partners).

Name

FinnGen

Legal name

FinnGen

Website

https://finngen.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FinnGen is a Finnish academic-industry genomic research consortium that combines genome data from 500,000+ Finnish biobank donors with national health registry data to identify genetic disease mechanisms, funded by Business Finland and international pharmaceutical partners and serving academic and pharmaceutical R&D users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genomic Research Services

akta.pro primary industry

Population Genomics & Preventive Precision Health Programs (HLAAANAL)

Keywords

• Genomic research consortium
• Biobank data analysis
• Genome-wide association studies
• Precision medicine research
• Population genomics platform

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

FinnGen is a public-private research consortium that collects whole-genome and health registry data from over 500,000 Finnish biobank donors to discover genetic variants associated with diseases. It delivers periodic Data Freezes, interactive browsers (PheWeb, Risteys), a secure Sandbox for approved analyses, and meta-analyses combining FinnGen with UK Biobank and MVP data to support drug target discovery and precision medicine research.

Product overview

FinnGen is a large-scale academic-industry genome research collaboration that serves as both a biobank research project and a data platform. The core offering is the FinnGen research platform combining genome data from 500,000 Finnish biobank participants with longitudinal health registry data. Key products include PheWeb for browsing genetic association results, Risteys for exploring health variable summaries, the FinnGen Handbook for researcher documentation, and the FinnGen Sandbox as a certified secure analysis environment. The platform produces periodic data releases (Data Freezes) with summary statistics that are publicly available to the research community. Research outputs are also integrated into external platforms like Open Targets Genetics for drug target identification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FinnGen Data Freezes Periodic full releases of harmonized genomic and phenotype data from the FinnGen cohort for use by approved academic and industry researchers; provides the foundational dataset for downstream analyses.
• PheWeb Genome-Phenome Browser Interactive web-based genome-phenome browser exposing summary statistics from FinnGen GWAS analyses for use by researchers, clinicians, and students to explore variant-phenotype associations.
• Risteys Phenotype Endpoint Browser Browser for exploring the Finnish national health registry endpoint definitions used in FinnGen analyses and their mappings to international phenotype codes, supporting interpretation of FinnGen associations.
• FinnGen Sandbox Secure Computing Environment Secure Google Cloud-based computing environment providing approved researchers with controlled access to individual-level FinnGen data for custom analyses that cannot be performed with summary statistics alone.
• FinnGen Meta-analysis PheWeb (FG-MVP-UKBB) Interactive browser combining FinnGen summary statistics with UK Biobank and the US Million Veteran Program (MVP) to enable higher-powered variant-phenotype lookups for translational researchers.
• FinnGen Handbook Public reference document describing FinnGen's analytical pipeline, endpoint definitions, quality control procedures, and data production methods for users of FinnGen data.
• FinnGen Genomic Research Consortium Membership Industry and public partner consortium membership in the FinnGen research project, providing co-funding in exchange for early access to results and influence on the analytical roadmap.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26 previously unknown rare genetic risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome identified in Finnish population
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 29 October 2018Google Cloud provides cloud infrastructure for data storage and processing. Selected for its security, scalability, cost efficiency, and global accessibility. Data stored on European servers in compliance with EU regulations.
• A-lehdet (Terve.fi)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 June 2018FinnGen blog collaboration on Terve.fi health platform to share research information with Finnish consumers interested in health and wellness.
• Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) - Helsinki BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Helsinki Biobank coordinates sample collection; serves as the largest hospital biobank network in Finland including Helsinki University, Kymenlaakso (Carea), South Karelia (Eksote).
• THL Biobank (National Institute for Health and Welfare)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017National biobank providing access to legacy population samples and health data. Houses ~160,000 legacy samples from THL Biobank collections.
• Auria Biobank (Turku)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Regional biobank covering Southwest Finland including Turku University Hospital, Satakunta hospital district, and Vaasa hospital district.
• Eastern Finland BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Regional biobank covering Northern Savo, University of Eastern Finland, North Karelia, South Savo hospital districts.
• Northern Finland Biobank BorealiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Regional biobank covering Northern Ostrobothnia, University of Oulu, NordLab, Lapland, Länsi-Pohja, Kainuu, and Central Ostrobothnia hospital districts.
• Tampere BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Regional biobank covering Pirkanmaa, Tampere University, South Ostrobothnia, and Central Finland hospital districts.
• Central Finland BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Regional biobank covering Central Finland hospital district and University of Jyväskylä.
• Blood Service BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Biobank collecting samples from blood donors, providing ~58,000 primarily healthy working-age individuals to the study.
• Hematological BiobankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2017Specialized biobank for hematological samples from Finnish Red Cross Blood Service and Hematology Association.
• Aalto UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on data visualization creating scrollytelling website explaining FinnGen project, goals, processes, and impact for wider audience. Joint development of visualization tools including Endpoint Browser, LAVAA volcano plot, and Multiple Manhattan Plot.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK Biobank: Large-scale population biobank linking genomic and longitudinal health data from ~500,000 participants; the most direct global analog to FinnGen in scale, design, and pharma-partner access model.
• deCODE Genetics: Icelandic population-genomics company leveraging a founder-effect bottleneck similar to Finland's; uses nationwide health registries and genome data for disease gene discovery and pharma collaborations.
• All of Us Research Program (NIH): US national precision-medicine cohort aiming to gather genomic and health data from 1M+ participants; comparable population-genomics design with public-private research access.
• Genomics England: UK government-backed 100,000 Genomes Project and successor programs; pairs large-scale sequencing with national health-system data for rare disease and cancer research.
• Estonian Biobank (EstBB, University of Tartu): National population biobank of ~200,000 Estonian participants linking genomic data to national health records; mirrors FinnGen's national-registry + genotype linkage model.

Regional players

• BioBank Japan: Large Asian population biobank linking DNA and clinical data from ~200,000 Japanese participants; comparable cohort-and-registry design but serving a different geography and ancestry.
• Geisinger MyCode: US health-system biobank linking exome sequencing to longitudinal EHR data for precision-medicine research; comparable genomic + health-record linkage.

Broad incumbents

• Open Targets: Public-private partnership using human genetics and genomics for systematic drug target identification; FinnGen results are integrated into its Genetics Portal, making it a close upstream/downstream counterpart.
• 23andMe: Large-scale consumer genomics platform with genotyped cohorts used for genetic discovery and pharma research collaborations; a broader commercial analog in cohort-scale genomics.

Emerging players

• Maze Therapeutics: Genomics-driven drug-discovery company and existing FinnGen industry partner leveraging variant-to-function insights for therapeutic development; a smaller, partner-style peer that consumes FinnGen outputs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/FINNGEN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finngen

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FinnGen