Biochemical Society

What Biochemical Society does

The Biochemical Society is a UK registered charity (no. 253894) and learned society founded in 1911, headquartered in London, that operates as the professional body for molecular bioscientists. It serves individual scientists across all career stages (undergraduate through emeritus), educators, students, and industry bioscientists, primarily in the United Kingdom but with global membership and reach. The Society's core offerings include a tiered membership program (six categories priced £19-£101 annually or £51-£272 for three-year terms), peer-reviewed journal publishing through its wholly-owned subsidiary Portland Press Ltd (five journals including the Biochemical Journal, Bioscience Reports, Clinical Science, and The Biochemist), scientific events and training (conferences, webinars, training courses), grants and bursaries, an annual awards program (15 awards per cycle), public engagement activities, education resources, careers support, and policy advocacy.

The Society runs a fully remote operating model with no physical premises beyond its registered mailing address, supported by a standard digital stack: Silverchair for website, SheepCRM for membership management, Eventsforce for event registration, DotDigital for email marketing, and eJournal Press and Figshare for publishing. All publishing profits are returned to the molecular bioscience community in support of charitable activities, consistent with the organization's nonprofit structure (company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, no. 892796). Revenue is generated through membership subscriptions (recurring), journal subscriptions (recurring via Portland Press), event registration fees (transactional), grants administration, and event sponsorship from partners including AstraZeneca and Company of Biologists.

The Society competes for member attention and journal authorship with other life sciences learned societies, and differentiates itself through its 100+ year brand heritage, recycling of publishing profits into the community, automatic FEBS membership for all members, and a dense community infrastructure (Council of Trustees, Policy Advisory Panel, Early Career Advisory Panel, Industry Advisory Panel, and Local/Student/International/Industry Ambassador schemes). Recent portfolio actions include the announced closure of Emerging Topics in Life Sciences journal (June 2026), continued launch of the annual awards cycle (2027 cycle announced), and partnership expansion into industry careers programming with ELRIG.

Name

Biochemical Society

Legal name

Biochemical Society

Website

https://biochemistry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Biochemical Society is a UK registered charity founded in 1911 that serves molecular bioscientists globally through tiered memberships, peer-reviewed journal publishing via its subsidiary Portland Press, scientific events, grants, awards, and policy advocacy, operating as a fully remote nonprofit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Society Membership & Publishing

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Blood, Organ & Tissue Donation Organizations (BPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• Scientific society membership
• Academic journal publishing
• Scientific conference organization
• Research grant programs
• Professional biochemistry services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and multi-year membership fees from molecular bioscientists at various career stages. Membership categories include undergraduate, postgraduate, early career, full, emeritus, and associate.
2. Journal Publishing: Publishing world-leading research and reviews through Portland Press. The Society publishes 5 journals including the Biochemical Journal. All profits are returned to the molecular bioscience community to support charitable activities.
3. Event Registration: Revenue from scientific meetings, training courses, webinars, and conferences. Members receive discounted registration fees.
4. Grants and Bursaries: The Society offers a wide range of grants and bursaries to support research and professional development, including sponsorship for activities and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Biochemical Society is a registered charity and learned society that serves molecular bioscientists through tiered membership subscriptions, peer-reviewed journal publishing via its wholly-owned subsidiary Portland Press, scientific meetings and training events, grants and bursaries, and an annual awards programme. It also delivers education resources, public engagement activities, careers support, and policy advocacy, returning all publishing profits to the molecular bioscience community.

Product overview

The Biochemical Society is a professional membership organization founded in 1911 that operates a multi-faceted portfolio of products and services centered on advancing molecular bioscience. The core offerings include: (1) Membership Program providing various tiers (Undergraduate through Emeritus) with benefits including journal access, grants, event discounts, and automatic FEBS membership; (2) Portland Press Journals publishing peer-reviewed research across multiple journals including Biochemical Journal, Bioscience Reports, Clinical Science, and The Biochemist; (3) Events and Training including scientific meetings, webinars, and training courses; (4) Grants and Bursaries supporting research and professional development; (5) Awards Program recognizing eminent bioscientists and educators; (6) Education Resources including factsheets, CREST Awards, and study resources; (7) Public Engagement Activities with outreach grants and science communication prizes; (8) Careers Support for molecular bioscientists; and (9) Policy Initiatives advocating for molecular biosciences. All services are interconnected through membership, with journal publishing profits returning to support the community's charitable activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Portland Press: The publishing arm of the Biochemical Society, publishing world-leading research and reviews in molecular biosciences

Products and services

• Membership Program Tiered membership program for molecular bioscientists spanning Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Early Career, Full, Emeritus, Associate, and Honorary categories, offering benefits including personal online journal access, grants and bursaries, discounted event registration, and automatic FEBS membership.
• Portland Press Journals Portfolio of peer-reviewed journals and magazines published by Portland Press Ltd (wholly-owned subsidiary), including Biochemical Journal, Bioscience Reports, Clinical Science, The Biochemist, Essays in Biochemistry, Neuronal Signaling, Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, and Biochemical Society Transactions.
• Events and Training Scientific meetings, training courses, webinars, and conference programs bringing together bioscientists, including the Biennial International LRRK2 Meeting, Microglia and Neuroinflammation conference, Early Career Life Scientists' Symposia, and the Biochemistry Focus webinar series.
• Grants and Bursaries Program Wide range of funding opportunities to support research and professional development, including Full and Early Career Bursaries, Student Bursaries, General Travel Grants, Care and Assistance Grants, Stay Connected Bursaries, Online Attendance Grants, Lab Visit Grants, EDI and Outreach Grants, and Harden Bursaries.
• Public Engagement Activities Public engagement and outreach programs demonstrating molecular bioscience to new audiences, including EDI and Outreach Grants up to £1,000, the Science Communication Prize, and resources such as Medicine Makers and The Hungry Games activities.
• Education Resources Comprehensive educational materials including factsheets, CREST Awards (Gold awards for ages 16+), Genome Editing Factsheet, Protein Data Bank Resources, 21st Century BioChallenges Activity Kits, and support for educators at undergraduate, postgraduate, and school levels.
• Biochemical Journal Flagship peer-reviewed journal publishing original research in molecular biosciences, with personal online access provided to members of the Biochemical Society.
• Biochemical Society Transactions Peer-reviewed journal providing personal online access to members as part of membership benefits, publishing transactions and review content in molecular biosciences.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Portland Press LtdcoreOthersWholly-owned publishing subsidiary of the Biochemical Society. Portland Press Ltd publishes the Society's portfolio of 5 journals including the Biochemical Journal. Registered Company No. 2453983. All publishing profits are returned to support the Society's charitable activities.
• Royal Society of BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough partnership with the Royal Society of Biology, the Biochemical Society connects to like-minded societies across the biosciences and shares learning on sustainable initiatives to encourage sustainability across the sector. The Royal Society of Biology has a strategic focus on climate and nature.
• FEBS (Federation of European Biochemical Societies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomatic membership of FEBS is provided to all Biochemical Society members, with access to FEBS Fellowships. This partnership provides global network access for members.
• ELRIG (European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWebinars organized in association with ELRIG, including the Industry careers for molecular bioscientists webinar. ELRIG provides industry perspective and collaboration for career-focused events.
• British Pharmacological SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of the Medicine Makers public engagement activity, which introduces participants to how painkillers work through enzyme-protein interaction models.
• Microbiology SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for creating educational content on antibiotic resistance, including the 'Living in a post-antibiotic era' booklet for public engagement.
• AstraZenecaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for conferences including Microglia and Neuroinflammation meeting. Provides financial support for scientific events.
• Company of BiologistsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for scientific conferences. Provides support for knowledge exchange events.
• Francis Crick InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with John Diffley and colleagues on SARS-CoV-2 biochemistry research webinars and themed collections.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Royal Society of Chemistry: A UK learned society publishing peer-reviewed chemistry journals and serving a comparable scientist-membership community. Highly comparable because of the parallel charitable publishing-and-membership model, similar UK base, and overlapping membership with biochemistry researchers.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): The leading US learned society for biochemistry and molecular biology, publishing its own portfolio of journals (JBC, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics) and running an awards/membership programme for the molecular bioscience community. The closest direct international peer to the Biochemical Society by discipline, membership model, and publishing structure.
• British Pharmacological Society: A UK learned society serving pharmacology researchers through membership, journals, grants and events. Already a confirmed partnership counterparty of the Biochemical Society (joint Medicine Makers activity), making it a directly comparable society-publishing peer in adjacent bioscience.
• Microbiology Society: A UK learned society serving microbiologists via membership, journals, events and grants. An active partner of the Biochemical Society on antibiotic resistance public engagement, and a closely comparable charitable learned society operating in adjacent molecular bioscience.
• Company of Biologists: A UK non-profit publisher of biology journals (Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms) with charitable grant funding. Already a sponsor of Biochemical Society conferences, making it a directly comparable non-profit publishing society.
• Royal Society of Biology: The UK umbrella body for the biosciences, with member organisations, publications, policy advocacy, and partnerships across the life sciences. Strategic partner of the Biochemical Society (joint publication of Emerging Topics in Life Sciences), and a comparable UK bioscience membership organisation.
• Society for Experimental Biology: A UK-based learned society for experimental biologists, offering membership, journals, conferences and grants. Directly comparable by structure, charitable mission, and membership-driven publishing model.
• Genetics Society: A UK learned society serving genetics researchers through membership, conferences, grants and journal sponsorship. Comparable as a small UK charitable learned society operating in an adjacent molecular bioscience discipline with similar GTM (community-led, event-driven, subscription membership).

Broad incumbents

• Springer Nature: One of the largest academic publishers globally with hundreds of life sciences journals. Relevant as the dominant commercial incumbent against whose bundling and scale the Biochemical Society's Portland Press must compete for journal submissions and library subscriptions.
• Wiley: A major global academic publisher with a substantial life sciences portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same journal submissions, library subscriptions, and society publishing partnerships as Portland Press.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-biochemical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialbiochemsoc
• Xx.com/biochemsoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/99242639743

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Biochemical Society