European Society of Intensive Care Medicine

What European Society of Intensive Care Medicine does

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) is a non-profit professional medical society founded in 1982 in Geneva at the World Health Organization and now headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. It serves intensive care medicine professionals worldwide, with a stated membership of more than 10,000 individuals organised across 15 scientific sections spanning cardiac, neuro, paediatrics, infection, nursing and allied health, and other intensive care sub-specialties. The society's core products include two peer-reviewed journals (Intensive Care Medicine, ranked 2nd of 62 in the field, and ICMx, ranked 18th), the annual LIVES Congress and surrounding educational events, the ESICM Academy continuing-education platform, the AppIC mobile clinical-decision application, the NEXT mentorship programme, podcasts, and clinical practice guidelines.

ESICM's revenue model is a non-profit mix of individual membership subscriptions (€90/year for in-training members and €60/year for nurses and allied health professionals, with the standard physician rate undisclosed), congress registration and exhibition fees, journal subscriptions and publication royalties, industry-sponsored research and travel grants (€240,000 disclosed in at least one year), and fees from continuing-education programmes. Industry funding is concentrated among medical-device manufacturers including Fisher & Paykel, Fresenius Kabi, Fresenius Medical Care and Getinge. The society has positioned itself internationally through bilateral partnerships with the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM), the Brazilian Associação de Medicina Intensiva (AMIB), the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM), and as a founding partner of the EPIC-IG interest group at the European Parliament. Operational leadership rests with President Jan De Waele and Chief Executive Officer Joël Alexandre.

Name

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine

Legal name

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine

Website

https://esicm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) is a Brussels-headquartered non-profit professional society serving more than 10,000 intensive care clinicians globally through two journals, the LIVES Congress, the ESICM Academy, and 15 specialty sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: ESICM generates primary revenue through annual membership fees. Tiered pricing applies: standard physician membership, reduced in-training membership at €90 per year, and a special €60 per year fee for Nurses & Allied Healthcare Professionals. Members receive access to educational tools, scientific journals (ICM and ICMx), career resources, congress discounts, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ESICM is a non-profit professional medical society that provides tiered annual membership, scientific journals (ICM and ICMx), the Academy e-learning platform, the AppIC mobile application, the annual LIVES congress, the NEXT career development programme, research grants totalling up to €240,000, and EU policy advocacy through the EPIC-IG, serving over 10,000 intensive care physicians, trainees, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals globally.

Product overview

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine operates as a professional medical society rather than a product company, offering a portfolio of interconnected educational, research, and professional development services. The core offerings include the ESICM Academy educational platform, ESICM Universe resource portal, LIVES annual congress, two peer-reviewed scientific journals (ICM and ICMx), the AppIC mobile application for bedside clinical reference, and the NEXT career development programme. The society provides research grants, webinars, podcasts (ESICM Talks), online courses, and maintains 15 scientific sections covering specialized ICU domains. These offerings are designed to serve over 10,000 global intensive care professionals through education, certification support, and professional networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ESICM Academy ESICM's primary educational platform providing online courses, webinars, and learning resources for intensive care professionals seeking continuing medical education.
• ESICM Universe A unified access portal connecting members to various ESICM resources including educational platforms, scientific journals, apps, and conference websites.
• LIVES Congress ESICM's annual international congress bringing together intensive care professionals for education, research presentations, and networking; LIVES 2026 is scheduled for Lisbon.
• Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) Journal ESICM's flagship peer-reviewed journal ranked 2nd out of 62 journals by 2025 Impact Factor, publishing original research on intensive care medicine for clinicians and researchers.
• Intensive Care Medicine Experimental (ICMx) Journal ESICM's open-access journal focusing on experimental and translational intensive care research, with a 2024 Impact Factor of 3.1 ranking 18th of 62 journals.
• AppIC Mobile Application Evidence-based bedside mobile application for iOS and Android, designed by healthcare professionals for critical care nursing, providing state-of-the-art practices in adult, paediatric, and neonatal critical care.
• NEXT Career Development Programme Career development programme for young ICU professionals aged 37 or younger offering mentoring, fellowships, training grants, junior editor positions, NEXT congress sessions, and clinical case challenges.
• ESICM Talks (Podcasts) Podcast series featuring expert discussions on intensive care research, methodologies, and clinical practice insights, distributed via Spotify.
• Intensive Care Fundamentals (ICF) Validated educational programme for newcomers to ICU, delivered locally in multiple languages by ESICM-certified faculty and accredited with 16 CMEs by EBAC.
• N&AHP Committee Resources Resources and community for Nurses and Allied Healthcare Professionals including webinars, courses, AppIC content, and interprofessional research opportunities, accessible via a special €60 annual fee.
• ESICM Research Grants Programme Competitive research funding programme offering grants up to €240,000 total value across multiple categories including basic science, clinical research, and industry-funded grants for ESICM members.

Quantifiable outcome

• ICM Journal ranked 2nd out of 62 journals in 2025 Impact Factors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2027ESICM collaborates with the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM) to organise the Euro-Japan Forum, scheduled for 12 May 2027. This forum gathers leading minds in intensive care medicine from Europe and Japan to share advancements in ICU technology and patient care, representing a significant international collaboration.
• Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira (AMIB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2027ESICM and AMIB (Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine) co-host the Euro-Brazil Conference, with the third edition scheduled for 8 April 2027. This partnership facilitates knowledge exchange and collaboration between European and Brazilian intensive care communities.
• Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026ESICM partnered with the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) to deliver the ESICM-ISCCM Bridge Webinar Series, dedicated to sepsis — one of the hottest topics in intensive care. The third and final episode was released in June 2026.
• European Parliament (Members of European Parliament – MEPs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESICM co-hosts the European Parliament Intensive Care Interest Group (EPIC-IG) with MEPs, providing a dedicated platform for dialogue between EU policymakers and the intensive care community on all matters connected to Europe's ICUs and intensive care medicine. Co-chaired by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen and Prof. Maurizio Cecconi, the group drives EU health policy engagement.
• Fisher & Paykel HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFisher & Paykel Healthcare co-funds the ESICM Jordi Mancebo Fisher & Paykel Healthcare SAS Grant, valued at €20,000, focused on physiological or clinical outcomes of less invasive respiratory support in acute respiratory failure.
• Fresenius KabiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresenius Kabi co-funds two ESICM grants: the ESICM Fresenius Kabi Medical Nutrition Research Grant (€20,000) focused on medical nutrition, and the 2023 ESICM Fresenius Kabi Clinical Nutrition Award which funded the GUTPHOS study.
• Fresenius Medical CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresenius Medical Care co-funds the ESICM Fresenius Medical Care Sustainability Grant (€20,000), focused on medical care sustainability.
• GetingeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGetinge provides the ESICM Getinge ECMO Support Grant, an educational grant offering fellowships with bedside teaching at leading academic centres, research funding of €20,000 plus consumables for the top proposal, and an exclusive networking event at LIVES 2026 for intensivists and ICU nurses passionate about ECLS/ECMO.
• EuroELSO Working Group on Coagulation, Antithrombotics and Patient Blood ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESICM-endorsed Anticoagulation Survey 2026 is an initiative of the EuroELSO Working Group on Coagulation, Antithrombotics and Patient Blood Management, focusing on anticoagulation practices in adult patients receiving ECMO support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin (DGAI): German professional society covering anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, with overlapping physician audience in Europe's largest single healthcare market. Competes for German intensivist membership and congress attendance.
• Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS): Australia and New Zealand intensivist society with comparable membership, conferences (ANZICS ASM) and clinical research programmes. Comparable in scale and structure but geographically focused on ANZ.
• Société de Réanimation de Langue Française (SRLF): French-language intensive care society covering France and francophone countries. Operates a similar congress/journal/education model, competing for European intensivist engagement.
• Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM): India's national intensivist society and ESICM partner on the sepsis Bridge Webinar Series. Comparable professional society structure with strong focus on critical care education and research in India.
• Intensive Care Society (ICS, UK): UK-focused professional body for intensive care practitioners, running the State of the Art meeting, journals and education. Comparable member society model, but focused on the UK rather than pan-Europe.
• Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine (JSICM): Japan's primary intensive care medicine society, with which ESICM co-hosts the Euro-Japan Forum. Comparable membership/congress/journal model, but nationally scoped.
• Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira (AMIB): Brazilian intensive care medicine association that co-hosts the Euro-Brazil Conference with ESICM. Directly comparable member society for Latin America's largest ICU workforce.

Direct peers

• Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM): The US-based professional society for critical care medicine, offering journals (Critical Care Medicine), the annual Critical Care Congress, education, and research grants to intensivists. Closest direct peer to ESICM in mission, membership model and product portfolio, but anchored in North America.
• European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC): Pan-European society covering anaesthesiology and intensive care, with overlapping membership of European intensivists, the Euroanaesthesia congress and shared CME offerings. Direct competitor for European intensivist mindshare and CME budgets.

Broad incumbents

• World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care (WFICC): Global umbrella federation of national intensive care societies. Functions as a coordinating incumbent rather than a direct membership competitor, but influences international standards and congress calendars that affect ESICM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/intensiveconnection
• LinkedInbe.linkedin.com/company/european-society-of-intensive-care-medicine---esicm
• Xx.com/esicm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Society of Intensive Care Medicine