Sciensano

What Sciensano does

Sciensano is a Belgian federal public institution with legal personality, established by the law of 25 February 2018 through the merger of the Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP) and the Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre (CODA-CERVA), two entities whose combined scientific expertise exceeds 100 years. Operating from headquarters in Ixelles, Brussels and four Belgian satellite sites, Sciensano employs more than 900 staff across directorates covering epidemiology and public health, infectious diseases in humans and animals, chemical and physical health risks, biological health risks, and data governance. Its operational backbone is the "One Health" concept, which integrates human health, animal health, and environmental management under a single institutional mandate.

Sciensano delivers services across two intersecting platforms. The institutional mandate, funded through Belgian federal allocations via the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo), covers more than 90 national reference centres and laboratories, generates 100,000 sample analyses annually, processes over 100 parliamentary questions per year, and coordinates Belgium's national Risk Assessment Group (RAG). Alongside this sits a research and project-grants operation consisting of more than 400 active projects financed by Belgian and international partners, including European co-financing, producing approximately 280 peer-reviewed publications per year. Customer segments are exclusively governmental and professional: Belgian federal, regional, and community health authorities; the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP); the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC); healthcare professionals; and EU bodies including ECDC, EMA, EFSA, EDQM, and WHO.

Product and technology surface area includes the Epistat interactive dashboard (real-time and historical data on COVID-19, infectious diseases, mortality, influenza, STI, and ticks), the Healthdata.be data governance platform implementing FAIR data principles, and approximately 90 reference labs operating under ISO 9001, ISO 15189, ISO 17025, ISO 17043, and EDQM OMCL quality certifications. The institution derives revenue from a recurring public-institutional funding stream and managed-services grant funding, with no commercial pricing model and no external shareholders. There is no disclosed financial revenue figure, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no IPO activity; Sciensano functions as a non-commercial federal research and public health entity rather than a venture-backed or investable corporation.

Name

Sciensano

Legal name

Sciensano

Website

https://sciensano.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sciensano is a Belgian federal public health institute operating the "One Health" concept across human, animal, and environmental health for federal, regional, and EU authorities, delivering surveillance, laboratory analysis, quality assessment, and health data services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Public Health Laboratories (Reference & Confirmatory) (HLAMAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Public Health, Biosecurity & Disease Control Services (AFAEANAI), Laboratory Informatics & Reporting (LIMS/ELR) Public Health Networks (HLAJAIAN)

Keywords

• Public health research
• Epidemiological surveillance
• Laboratory testing services
• Animal health monitoring
• Health data management

Headquarters

HQ city

Ixelles

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: Sciensano is a public institution established by Belgian law, funded through government allocations and performing public health assignments mandated by federal, regional, community, European, and international authorities.
2. Research Project Grants: 400 scientific projects financed by Belgian and international partners, including European funding

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sciensano is a Belgian federal public institution that performs public and animal health assignments through laboratory analyses, epidemiological surveillance, external quality assessments, product safety evaluation, and licensing/accreditation services. It manages more than 90 national reference centres and labs, conducts over 100,000 sample analyses and 280 peer-reviewed publications annually, and maintains the Healthdata.be platform and Epistat dashboard under the integrated 'One Health' framework linking human, animal, and environmental health.

Product overview

Sciensano is a Belgian public health research institution that operates as a unified platform of interconnected services rather than a single software product. The core offerings include Epistat (an epidemiological dashboard for tracking COVID-19, infectious diseases, mortality, and health indicators), sample analysis and testing services, external quality assessment, product safety evaluation, licensing/accreditation, health information services, and research publications. These services are delivered through multiple directorates including Epidemiology and Public Health, Infectious Diseases in Humans and Animals, Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Biological Health Risks, and Data Governance. The institution conducts over 100,000 sample analyses annually and manages more than 90 reference centres and labs, with the Healthdata.be platform supporting data management and interoperability across the health ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Epistat Dashboard Interactive public dashboard providing real-time and historical epidemiological data on COVID-19, infectious diseases, mortality, influenza, sexually transmitted infections (STI), and ticks in Belgium for health professionals, researchers, journalists, and the general public.
• Analysis Request Services Laboratory sample analysis services for human and animal health specimens, providing scientific testing with documented procedures for analysis requests, sample preparation, and transport, delivered through Sciensano's network of national reference centres and laboratories.
• Data Collection Services Surveillance network services enabling monitoring of human and animal health through patient registries, health surveys, and epidemiological data collection for government authorities, healthcare professionals, and research partners.
• External Quality Assessment (EQA) Proficiency testing and external quality evaluation services for medical laboratories, healthcare providers, and manufacturers to assess product properties or safety in compliance with ISO 17043 standards under BELAC accreditation.
• Control and Safety Assessment Product evaluation services assessing safety and compliance of medicines, vaccines, plasma-derived products, and other health products for the Belgian market as part of the EDQM Official Medicines Control Laboratory (OMCL) network.
• Licensing/Agrément Services Regulatory licensing and accreditation services for third parties based on the quality and characteristics of their health-related products, delivered in collaboration with FAMHP and other regulatory bodies.
• Health Information Services Health information services providing current state and historical evolution data on human and animal health in Belgium, including health status reporting through the sciensano.be website, weekly Acute Respiratory Infection bulletins, and the healthybelgium.be health status portal.
• Acute Health Threats Services Practical information, procedures, and emergency response coordination services for health professionals regarding acute health threats, including Avian influenza, West Nile virus, and COVID-19 outbreak management via the Risk Assessment Group (RAG).
• Scientific Research Projects Scientific research portfolio comprising over 400 projects financed by Belgian and international partners, including European funding, producing approximately 280 peer-reviewed articles annually and covering the One Health research agenda.
• Reports and Publications Health policy support publications, including results of analyses, surveillance reports, expert advice publications, and the annual Sciensano report (e.g., 2024 Annual report) used by policy makers, the scientific community, and the public.
• Healthdata.be Platform Health data management platform and infrastructure under Sciensano's Data Governance directorate, supporting health data collection, accessibility, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles across the Belgian health ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 sample analyses conducted annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSciensano coordinates national risk assessment and collaborates with ECDC on disease prevention and control at European level
• European Medicines Agency (EMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on medicines evaluation, safety monitoring, and regulatory science within EU network
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on food safety risk assessment and scientific advice within EU framework
• European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOMCL Network participation for medicines and vaccines quality control; certification through EDQM quality systems
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on public health, disease surveillance, and health emergency response through WHO networks
• Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on medicines and health products evaluation and regulatory functions for Belgian market
• Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on food safety assessment, monitoring, and control for Belgian food chain
• FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal Public Services providing governance and policy framework for Sciensano's public health missions
• KU LeuvenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on health research, scientific projects, and knowledge exchange in Belgian research ecosystem
• Sciensano Partners NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network including hundreds of partners: governmental agencies, national and international academic institutions, health professionals, scientists, and private sector partners. Listed partners include Belgian Diabetes Forum, Belgian Cancer Registry, Jules Bordet Institute, VITO, and many others.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM): RIVM is the Netherlands' national public health and environment institute, the closest direct peer to Sciensano. Both operate as state-mandated public-health reference institutes integrating human, animal, and environmental health with national reference laboratories.
• Santé Publique France: Santé Publique France is the French national public health agency. It is directly comparable to Sciensano in performing population surveillance, epidemiological studies, and health information services for government decision-makers.
• Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire (ANSES): ANSES is the French agency for food, environmental, and occupational health safety. It mirrors Sciensano's combined human/animal/environmental health remit and reference-laboratory model, including close EFSA collaboration.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UKHSA is the UK's dedicated public-health protection agency. Comparable in remit to Sciensano, covering infectious disease surveillance, reference laboratory services, and emergency health response coordination.
• Statens Serum Institut (SSI): SSI is Denmark's national public health and infectious disease research institute. It shares Sciensano's model of operating reference laboratories, epidemiological surveillance, and microbiological preparedness under a public mandate.
• Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR): BfR is Germany's federal institute for risk assessment in food, chemicals, and consumer products. It overlaps with Sciensano's chemical/physical and biological health risks directorates and its food-safety reference work with EFSA.
• Robert Koch Institute (RKI): RKI is Germany's federal government agency for disease control and prevention. Like Sciensano, it coordinates national surveillance, reference laboratories, and epidemiological response, and is a core partner in ECDC and WHO networks.
• Folkhälsomyndigheten: Folkhälsomyndigheten is Sweden's public health agency. It is comparable to Sciensano in providing national surveillance, microbiological laboratory services, and infectious disease preparedness under a public mandate.

Broad incumbents

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): EFSA is the EU agency providing scientific advice on food chain safety. Sciensano provides national input to EFSA on food safety and animal health, making EFSA the broader EU-level incumbent across Sciensano's food-safety mandate.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): ECDC is the EU-level agency for disease surveillance and response. Sciensano is a national coordination partner for ECDC; ECDC represents the broader EU-wide incumbent that could absorb some functions Sciensano currently performs nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sciensano
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100093524406290
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sciensano
• Instagramthreads.net/@sciensano

Compliance6 records

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 →

Frequently asked questions about Sciensano