What FORUM does

FORUM Institut für Management GmbH is a Germany-based, for-profit professional continuing education provider headquartered in Heidelberg, founded in 1979 and operating as a private limited company (GmbH) within the SRH group. The company serves working professionals and corporate clients with a multi-format training portfolio spanning live online seminars, self-paced e-learnings, in-person classroom sessions, and customized in-house corporate programs. Its curriculum covers 30+ professional topic areas, with particular depth in Pharma & Healthcare (pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, GMP/GDP), Finance & Accounting, Legal/Compliance, Public Administration & Procurement, SAP applications, and Leadership.

The company's technical backbone is its proprietary Learning Space platform — an all-in-one virtual training environment integrated with Zoom and featuring interactive capabilities (chat, surveys, workshop rooms, document management) plus integrations with Slido, Mentimeter, and Padlet. E-learning content is available as SCORM-compliant modules for export into enterprise customer LMS platforms. Supporting technology includes a free PreMeeting technical preparation session for participants and a customer portal (members.forum-institut.de) for booking and event access.

Commercially, FORUM operates a sales-led B2B model with a hybrid of individual and enterprise revenue streams. Public pricing for individual seminars ranges from €329 for 90-day e-learning access to €1,860 for a full-day online seminar, with multi-module certification programs priced at €3,600 (offering ~25-30% savings vs. individual bookings). In-house corporate training is custom-priced. The company employs approximately 110 training professionals, maintains a network of roughly 6,000 external trainers and experts deployed annually, and reports having trained 750,000+ executives over its 45+ year history. Reference customers include EnBW Kernkraft, DB Systel, Berlin-Chemie, Servona, and MSD Sharp & Dohme, distributed across energy, technology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries.

Name

FORUM

Legal name

FORUM • Institut für Management GmbH

Website

https://forum-institut.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FORUM Institut für Management GmbH is a Germany-based professional continuing education provider offering online seminars, e-learnings, in-person training, and customized corporate programs across pharma, finance, legal, public procurement, and SAP, serving enterprise clients and individual professionals via its Learning Space platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training & Continuing Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workshops, Webinars & Live Masterclasses (MPACALAD), Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

Keywords

• Professional continuing education
• Corporate training services
• Online learning platform
• Pharmaceutical compliance training
• Executive development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Training Services: Revenue generated from professional continuing education services including online seminars, e-learnings, in-person seminars, certification programs, and in-house corporate training. Pricing varies by format and duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FORUM Institut is a professional training and continuing education provider that sells live Online-Seminare, self-paced e-Learnings, in-person Präsenz-Weiterbildungen, and customized Inhouse-Seminare to corporate clients and individual professionals. Its core delivery is anchored by the proprietary Learning Space platform integrated with Zoom and interactive tools (chat, surveys, workshop rooms, document sharing, Mentimeter, Padlet, Slido), with SCORM-compatible content for enterprise LMS integration. Modular Qualifikationslehrgänge (certification programs) in project management, IP management, and pharmacovigilance/QPPV form the higher-value qualification offerings.

Product overview

FORUM Institut operates as a professional training and continuing education provider offering a multi-format portfolio centered around its Learning Space online platform. The core offering combines live Online-Seminare (real-time virtual seminars) with self-paced e-Learnings (video-based courses with assessments), supplemented by in-person Präsenz-Weiterbildungen and customized Inhouse-Seminare for corporate clients. The company specializes in industry-specific qualification programs including modular Lehrgänge (certification programs) in project management, IP management, and pharma/healthcare fields such as pharmacovigilance leadership and Qualified Person training. Training topics span 28 professional areas including Pharma & Healthcare, Finance & Accounting, Law, IT/SAP, HR, and Public Procurement. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001:2018 certifications and has been operating for over 45 years with headquarters in Heidelberg.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Learning Space: The company's all-in-one online training platform featuring live interactive learning, chat, surveys, workshop rooms, and document management.

Products and services

• Learning Space All-in-one proprietary online learning platform that hosts live seminars with interactive features (chat, surveys, workshop rooms, document management), real-time Zoom integration, and third-party engagement tools (Mentimeter, Padlet, Slido) for corporate and individual professional training audiences.
• e-Learnings Self-paced online courses with video modules, downloadable materials, and learning assessments across Pharma, Regulatory Affairs, Finance, HR, and Compliance topics. Offered in German and English, with SCORM export capability for deployment on corporate learning management systems.
• Online-Seminare Live, instructor-led virtual seminars conducted in real-time through the Learning Space platform, with interactive Q&A, polls, and group discussions across all topic areas, scheduled throughout the year.
• Präsenz-Weiterbildungen In-person classroom training sessions held at physical locations, offering face-to-face interaction with instructors and peers, hands-on exercises, and networking opportunities for working professionals.
• Inhouse-Seminare Customized corporate training programs delivered at client locations or online, designed to address specific organizational needs and tailored to company-specific processes and requirements for enterprise clients.
• Qualifikationslehrgang Projektmanagement Modular certification program for project management consisting of an e-Learning foundation, entry module, specialization module, and elective module. Combines classical and agile project management methods over approximately 4-6 months (extendable up to 18 months), with optional AI-focused modules. Priced at 3,600 EUR plus VAT, offering ~25-30% savings vs. individual seminar bookings.
• Ausbildungslehrgang IP-Manager [Patent] (IP Manager Certification - Patent) Professional certification program for intellectual property management and patent expertise, comprising 74 hours of core curriculum plus 15 hours of advanced module content, designed for IP managers, patent professionals, and legal specialists.
• Qualifikationslehrgang: Fachreferent*in Arzneimittelsicherheit (Drug Safety Specialist Qualification) Modular German-language qualification program for drug safety professionals consisting of three selected seminars plus one elective module. Provides comprehensive overview of pharmacovigilance manager responsibilities and practical knowledge for drug safety roles.
• Qualification Course: Head of Pharmacovigilance English-language modular training program for pharmacovigilance leadership, consisting of three selected seminars and one elective module. Covers pharmacovigilance system management, legal responsibilities, and staff leadership for aspiring and current Heads of PV in pharmaceutical companies.
• Qualification Course: Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV) English-language modular training program for Qualified Persons for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV), covering the legal framework, core responsibilities, and professional knowledge required to perform the QPPV role effectively within a marketing authorization holder.
• PreMeeting Technical Preparation Session Free technical preparation session for online event participants, offering introduction to Learning Space functionality, equipment testing (camera, microphone), and platform familiarization, available without prior registration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,000 top ratings from participants (very good/4.3 stars)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SRHminorOthersSRH (Stiftung Rehabilitation Heidelberg) appears as a related organization. FORUM Institut is part of or affiliated with the SRH network, a larger German education and healthcare provider group.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TÜV Rheinland Akademie: TÜV Rheinland Akademie provides certified professional training and continuing education in Germany across technical, regulatory, and management topics, serving enterprise clients with both open seminars and in-house programs — a direct comparable on format and compliance-driven subject matter.
• WBS TRAINING AG: WBS Training is a German vocational and professional training provider offering certified courses, in-house corporate training, and e-learning across HR, IT, and management topics — directly comparable on audience, format mix, and B2B GTM.
• Haufe Group: Haufe Group is a German B2B professional information and training provider with a similar portfolio of professional continuing education, e-learnings, in-house corporate training, and certification programs across HR, tax, law, and compliance — closely mirroring FORUM's offerings and target buyers.
• Deutscher Fachverlag (dfv): dfv is a major German trade publishing group that operates conferences, seminars, and digital learning programs for B2B professionals — comparable to FORUM's combination of trade content publishing and event-based professional training across multiple industries.
• Verlag C.H.Beck oHG: C.H.Beck is the leading German legal publisher with an associated training arm (Beck Akademie / Beck Seminare) delivering professional legal and compliance seminars — directly competing with FORUM's Legal/Compliance segment for German legal professionals.

Emerging players

• Coursera for Business: Coursera for Business is a global enterprise digital learning platform with certified content from top universities — competing with FORUM's e-learning offerings for corporate training budgets, especially for non-regulated, generalist professional development topics.
• Udemy Business: Udemy Business is a self-serve enterprise learning platform with thousands of on-demand courses across business, tech, and compliance — competing with FORUM's e-learning catalog for price-sensitive learners and subscription-based L&D procurement.

Broad incumbents

• DATEV eG: DATEV is Germany's dominant accounting and tax software cooperative that also delivers extensive professional training and certification for tax advisors and accountants — comparable to FORUM's Finance/Accounting and SAP finance verticals, but with much broader software ecosystem reach.
• Springer Nature Professional: Springer Nature's professional and Fachmedien divisions publish reference content and deliver professional training courses in German-speaking markets, overlapping with FORUM's content-publishing and certified-learning model but as part of a much larger global scientific publisher.

Regional players

• SDU Uitgevers: SDU is a Dutch professional publisher and training provider for legal, tax, and public administration professionals — comparable to FORUM's Legal/Compliance and Public Administration segments but focused on the Benelux market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_Assistenz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FORUMInstitut
• Facebookfacebook.com/Foruminstitut
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-institut-f-r-management-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/foruminstitut

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 FORUM