Etablissement Français du Sang

What Etablissement Français du Sang does

Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) is the sole civil operator of blood transfusion in France, operating as a public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health. Its mission is to ensure a continuous national supply of blood products (red blood cells, plasma, platelets) to hospitals and healthcare facilities, supported by a network of 13 regional establishments, over 115 fixed donation centers (Maisons du don), and approximately 40,000 mobile collection events per year across metropolitan France and overseas departments. With more than 10,000 professionals and over 503 million medical biology acts annually, EFS is the largest medical biology laboratory in France, providing services spanning donor collection, biological diagnostics, cellular therapy, tissue engineering, and transfusion medicine research.

The organization's core technology stack centers on apheresis systems for plasma and platelet donation (which yield approximately three times the plasma of whole blood donation), centrifugation-based component separation, and a digital layer including the "Don de sang" mobile application (iOS/Android) and website for eligibility self-assessment, geolocation of donation sites, and appointment scheduling. EFS also operates in advanced therapeutic domains, including stem cell transplantation, cell and tissue engineering, and partnerships for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs).

EFS is funded as a non-profit public service; blood and blood products cannot under any circumstances be a source of profit under French law. Revenue (effectively operating budget) derives from government subsidies and is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: EFS works with the FFDSB federation (750,000 members, 2,850 local associations, partner since 1949), Rotary Club (Mon Sang pour les Autres since 1998), Lions Club (Sang pour sang campus), Laurette Fugain, and APIPD to recruit 1.5 million annual donors. Customers include 1 million patients treated per year (cancer, surgical, emergency, hemophilia, sickle cell disease), French hospitals and clinics as institutional buyers of blood products, and plasma-derived medication recipients (estimated 500,000 patients). Pricing to donors is zero — donation is voluntary, anonymous, and non-remunerated.

Name

Etablissement Français du Sang

Legal name

Etablissement français du sang

Website

https://dondesang.efs.sante.fr

Company type

Public

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) is France's sole public civil operator of blood transfusion, supplying blood, plasma, and platelet products to hospitals nationwide through 13 regional establishments, 115+ fixed donation centers, and 40,000 annual mobile collection events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blood Transfusion Services

NAICS

Blood and Organ Banks (621991)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Blood transfusion services
• Plasma donation
• Platelet donation
• Medical biology diagnostics
• Cellular therapy research

Headquarters

HQ city

La Plaine-saint-denis

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Service Funding: As a public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, EFS operates as a non-profit public service. The organization is funded through government subsidies and does not generate revenue from blood products, which cannot be a source of profit under French law.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EFS is the French public blood service that collects whole blood, plasma, and platelets from voluntary donors through a nationwide network of 115+ fixed donation centers and 40,000 annual mobile collection events. It processes donations into blood components (red blood cells, plasma, platelets), performs medical biology diagnostics (503+ million acts per year), and delivers cellular and tissue therapy and research services to hospitals and patients across France.

Product overview

Etablissement Français du Sang (EFS) is France's public blood service operator offering a comprehensive suite of blood collection and transfusion-related services. The core portfolio centers on three main donation types: whole blood donation (don de sang), plasma donation (don de plasma via apheresis), and platelet donation (don de plaquettes via apheresis). These are supported by a network of over 115 fixed donation centers (Maisons du don) and approximately 40,000 mobile collection sites annually. EFS also provides a mobile application for appointment scheduling and donor management, online eligibility assessment tools, medical biology diagnostic services (503+ million acts annually), and advanced cell and tissue therapy research. The organization operates as the sole civil operator for blood transfusion in France under public service mission, with activities spanning collection, testing, processing, distribution to healthcare facilities, and innovation in blood-derived therapies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Don de sang (Whole Blood Donation)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million patients treated annually through blood donations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Rotary Club - Mon Sang pour les AutresmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1998Collection campaign launched in 1998 initially in Toulouse. Over 120 French cities have joined the movement, with more than 400,000 donors welcomed at collections over 20+ years.
• FFDSB - Fédération Française pour le Don de Sang BénévolecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1949Historical partner of EFS since 1949, representing blood donors before public authorities. FFDSB brings together 750,000 members across 2,850 local associations, actively participating in organizing blood collections and recruiting new donors and volunteers.
• Lions Club International France - Sang pour sang campusmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation created by French Lions Club members from Bordeaux, extending to campuses nationwide. Federation of local associations working to organize blood drives in universities and recruit young donors.
• Laurette FugainminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeukemiafighting association founded in 2002 supporting pediatric and adult medical research on leukemias, raising awareness about life donations (blood, platelets, bone marrow), and providing comfort to patients and families alongside EFS.
• APIPD - Association pour l'Information et la Prévention de la DrépanocytoseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation supporting people with sickle cell disease, partnering with EFS to conduct awareness campaigns encouraging donors, particularly those with 'rare' blood types (population from sub-Saharan Africa, Caribbean) to donate.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CSL Behring: Major plasma fractionator producing immunoglobulins, clotting factors, and albumin; comparable downstream activity around plasma-derived medicines supplied to EFS's patient populations.
• Grifols: Global plasma-derived therapeutics leader with extensive plasma collection centers; relevant as the primary downstream fractionator that EFS-style plasma collection ultimately feeds.
• Eurofins Scientific: Largest European medical biology and diagnostics network; relevant as a private-sector comparator for the 503M annual diagnostic acts EFS performs under its medical biology mission.

Direct peers

• Italian National Blood Centre (Centro Nazionale Sangue / CNS): Italy's national coordinating body overseeing the regional blood service network under the Ministry of Health; analogous public-service, non-profit transfusion operator with mandatory self-sufficiency framework.
• Canadian Blood Services: Canada's national, not-for-profit blood operator funded by provincial/territorial governments; comparable model of voluntary, non-remunerated donation with centralized processing and supply to hospitals.
• American Red Cross Biomedical Services: Operates the largest single blood-collection network in the US; comparable in voluntary donor recruitment at scale, mobile collection drives, and component processing, despite a different regulatory environment.
• Australian Red Cross Lifeblood: Australia's national blood service collecting whole blood, plasma, and platelets under a voluntary donor model; closely analogous in mission, donor engagement, and processing infrastructure.
• NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT): UK's national public blood and organ service; directly comparable as a state-supervised monopoly operator of blood collection, processing, and transplantation services with voluntary donor networks and nationwide infrastructure.
• German Red Cross Blood Donation Service (DRK-Blutspendedienst): Germany's decentralized but national blood service run by the Red Cross; comparable in voluntary donor model, nationwide footprint, and supply to public hospitals across multiple regions.

Regional players

• Spanish Federation of Blood Donors (FEDSANG / Spain's national transfusion system): Spain's nationally coordinated public transfusion system under regional health authorities; comparable public, voluntary, non-remunerated donor model serving a neighboring national market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• TikToktiktok.com/@efs_dondesang
• Xx.com/EFS_Sante
• Facebookfacebook.com/EtablissementFrancaisduSang

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 →

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