Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction

What Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction does

Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR) is a multidisciplinary research center established in 2018 within the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine at the University of Catania, Italy. Founded by Prof. Riccardo Polosa together with 38 academics, the center studies the drivers of smoking addiction and evaluates harm-reduction alternatives to combustible cigarettes, including e-cigarettes and other combustion-free nicotine products. Its scientific activities span multicenter clinical trials, laboratory analysis (microbiology and molecular biology via an in-house CRO), population-based epidemiological studies (e.g., a 22,000+ adult Scottish Health Survey analysis), computational modeling under an In Silico Science program, and oral health imaging using Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence (QLF) technology. The center has produced 128 peer-reviewed publications in four years across journals such as Journal of Human Hypertension, Internal and Emergency Medicine, Journal of Dentistry, and European Geriatric Medicine.

CoEHAR's named research portfolio includes the REPLICA Project (multicenter replication studies of e-cigarette findings), the SMILE Study (international study on oral health effects of smoking and cessation, with a digital platform at smilestudy.coehar.org), the DiaSmokeFree / DIASMOKE trial (a multinational clinical trial on metabolic outcomes of switching to combustion-free nicotine alternatives in type 2 diabetes patients, at diasmoke.coehar.org), and the VERITAS and ISPM projects. Dissemination channels include a digital repository (repository.coehar.org), the CoEHAR Play multimedia platform, and active social media presence. The center is supported in advocacy, training, and awareness by LIAF (Italian Anti-Smoking League) and ECLAT, a University of Catania spin-off, with consortium partners including the Center for Tobacco Prevention and Treatment and an in-house Clinical Research Organization.

The commercial / funding model is academic: CoEHAR is not a product-selling company and has no disclosed pricing or commercial customers. Revenue is sourced from university allocations, research grants, and a disclosed funding relationship with the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (2022, amount undisclosed), with in-kind support from its affiliated LIAF and ECLAT entities. Go-to-market is community-led, reaching healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the general public through peer-reviewed publications, international conference circuits (SRNT, GTNF, GFN, E-Cigarette Summit, EUROTOX), policy engagement, press coverage, and public education campaigns. Its international collaboration network spans at least 12 countries across Europe, MENA, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South America, and North America, including partnerships with institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Bristol, Temple University, Sultan Qaboos University, Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech), and Universitas Padjadjaran (Indonesia).

Name

Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction

Legal name

Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction

Website

https://coehar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CoEHAR is a multidisciplinary tobacco harm reduction research center established in 2018 at the University of Catania, Italy. It conducts multicenter clinical trials, population studies, and laboratory research on smoking cessation and combustion-free nicotine alternatives, serving healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Prevention & Recovery Lifestyle Education (Non-clinical) (EDAAAHAL)

Keywords

• Tobacco harm reduction
• Clinical research studies
• Smoking cessation research
• Public health research
• E-cigarette research

Headquarters

HQ city

Catania

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. University-funded research: CoEHAR is established within the University of Catania and operates as a research center. The center conducts research funded through university resources, international collaborations, and potentially through research grants. Activities include advocacy, training, education, and awareness campaigns supported by LIAF (Italian Anti-Smoking League) and ECLAT (a spin-off of the University of Catania).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CoEHAR is a multidisciplinary academic research center within the University of Catania that conducts clinical, laboratory, and population-based research on tobacco harm reduction, smoking addiction, and the health effects of alternative nicotine products. It delivers peer-reviewed scientific evidence through named research programs (REPLICA, SMILE, DiaSmokeFree), maintains a publications repository, runs educational and youth-prevention campaigns, and supports policy and advocacy work via affiliated organizations (LIAF, ECLAT).

Product overview

CoEHAR is a multidisciplinary research center at the University of Catania focused on Tobacco Harm Reduction. The organization operates several named research initiatives including the REPLICA Project (multicenter e-cigarette replication studies), the SMILE Study (oral health effects of smoking), and the DiaSmokeFree Study (diabetes and smoking cessation research). These are complemented by CoEHAR Play (multimedia content platform), a research repository, and youth prevention campaigns. The portfolio represents a unified research and education approach rather than a commercial product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SMILE Study International research project investigating the long-term effects of smoking and smoking cessation on oral health, using innovative technologies such as quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF). Targeted at the academic, clinical, and public-health research community.
• DiaSmokeFree Study International clinical trial evaluating the long-term metabolic effects (glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors) of switching from conventional cigarettes to combustion-free nicotine alternatives in people with type 2 diabetes. Targeted at the clinical research community.
• REPLICA Project Multicenter replication study project that validates scientific findings on e-cigarettes and tobacco harm reduction under standardized laboratory exposure conditions across international research centers. Targeted at the academic and clinical research community.
• CoEHAR Play Multimedia platform hosting interviews, educational content, and research presentations on tobacco harm reduction featuring CoEHAR researchers and international partners. Targeted at researchers, healthcare professionals, and the general public.
• CoEHAR Repository Open-access digital archive hosting CoEHAR's scientific publications, research outputs, and academic contributions in tobacco harm reduction. Targeted at researchers, academics, and the public-health community.
• Youth Tobacco Prevention Campaign Public-health educational campaign focused on preventing tobacco use among young people through awareness and prevention programs. Targeted at schools, educators, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• E-cigarettes shown to be more than 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018International academic partnership for research collaboration in tobacco harm reduction. Part of CoEHAR's international network of collaborations.
• Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership for research collaboration in harm reduction studies.
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian university partnership for international research collaboration on tobacco harm reduction.
• University of KragujevacminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerbian university partnership for international research collaboration.
• Universitas Padjadjaran (UNPAD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian university partnership for international research collaboration. CoEHAR Indonesia established with this partnership.
• Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian university partnership for international research collaboration.
• Titu Maiorescu UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRomanian university partnership for international research collaboration.
• University of OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK university partnership for international research collaboration.
• Temple UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS university partnership for international research collaboration.
• Sultan Qaboos UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOman university partnership for international research collaboration.
• University of BristolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK university partnership for international research collaboration.
• IMDiK - Institute of Medical Research KasetskyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research institute partnership for medical research collaboration.
• IHBAS (Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian research institute partnership for international collaboration.
• Institute for Tobacco Studies (ITS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTobacco research institute partnership for collaboration on tobacco harm reduction studies.
• LIAF - Lega Italiana Anti Fumo (Italian Anti-Smoking League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoEHAR's actions on advocacy, training, education, and awareness campaigns are supported by LIAF. LIAF was founded by Riccardo Polosa in 2003 and he directed it for 5 years.
• ECLAT - University of Catania Spin-offcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECLAT is a spin-off of the University of Catania that supports CoEHAR's actions on advocacy, training, education, and awareness campaigns. Also coordinates ISPM Summer School for Project Managers.
• Center for Tobacco Prevention and TreatmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal center included within CoEHAR consortium for tobacco prevention and treatment activities.
• Clinical Research Organization (with microbiology and molecular biology laboratories)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal consortium component providing laboratory infrastructure for CoEHAR research including microbiology and molecular biology labs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education (UCSF): UCSF's tobacco research center conducts multidisciplinary research on tobacco use, policy, and health effects, and publishes widely cited peer-reviewed work. It is a direct peer in scope, methodology, and target audiences (researchers, policymakers).
• Center for the Study of Tobacco Products (VCU): Virginia Commonwealth University's Center for the Study of Tobacco Products conducts FDA-funded research on tobacco product science and harm reduction. Directly comparable to CoEHAR in regulatory science and product evaluation focus.
• Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research (Truth Initiative): Truth Initiative's Schroeder Institute conducts peer-reviewed research on tobacco use, cessation, and population health. Comparable to CoEHAR in research methodology, publication output, and policy-engagement goals.
• National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCDCT): UK-based NCSCT delivers evidence-based training, assessment, and research on smoking cessation, including e-cigarettes. Comparable to CoEHAR in its combination of research, training, and policy work on tobacco harm reduction.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): CAMH conducts major research on nicotine dependence, addiction science, and cessation therapies. Comparable to CoEHAR in clinical research on nicotine, behavioral health, and publication-driven policy influence.
• Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Tobacco Research): Roswell Park runs the Tobacco Research and Treatment program covering nicotine dependence and cancer prevention. Comparable to CoEHAR in population-level research on smoking cessation and health outcomes.

Others

• Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group: The Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group produces gold-standard systematic reviews on smoking cessation interventions and is a benchmark for CoEHAR's own systematic-review outputs (e.g., the IEEE AI cessation review and the diabetes meta-analysis).
• Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT): SRNT is the leading international scientific society for nicotine and tobacco research. It is not a direct competitor but a peer venue where CoEHAR presents and was shortlisted for the 2021 annual meeting.
• Foundation for a Smoke-Free World: Foundation for a Smoke-Free World funds tobacco harm-reduction research globally and is CoEHAR's disclosed funder. It is a thematically related organization whose strategy and standing directly influence CoEHAR's research agenda.

Broad incumbents

• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): IARC is the WHO's specialized cancer research agency and produces globally influential monographs on tobacco-related carcinogenicity. It is a broader incumbent shaping the same evidence base CoEHAR seeks to influence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoeharUnict
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSQWAxwvqqppSffEaZl1syA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CoEHAR
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coehar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center of Excellence for the acceleration of Harm Reduction