Institute of Image Guided Surgery

What Institute of Image Guided Surgery does

IHU Strasbourg (Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire de Strasbourg) is a French non-profit research foundation founded in 2011 under the Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir to develop and translate image-guided minimally invasive surgical therapies. The institute operates from a 13,000 m² facility in Strasbourg opened in 2016, physically connected to Nouvel Hôpital Civil and IRCAD, comprising 9 operating blocs including 3 hybrid blocs, R&D laboratories, and experimental platforms. Its work spans four pillars: patient care, translational research, education, and technology transfer.

The institute's core technology portfolio includes AI-assisted surgical systems (mAI Companion, an echoendoscopy AI for pancreatic cancer detection with CE MDR marking), robotic platforms (IMARA Franco-German project for nurse assistance), connected infrastructure (5G-OR, MONIT-OR1), and Surgical Data Science applications. Education programs (ITEC, B.E.S.T. Innovation Course, SDS Summer School, fellowships, Master programs) train medical professionals from 117 countries. Technology transfer occurs through spin-offs including Taurus Endoscopy (endoscopic clips, EUR 2.5M raised 2023), Scialytics (AI surgical risk), and the iGlobe Scientific joint venture with Medi-Globe Technologies for pancreatic cancer AI commercialization (2024).

Revenue is generated from four streams: French government PIA funding and competitive grants (ANR, ERC, Horizon Europe), fee-based training programs (ITEC priced EUR 800-3,350 per participant), clinical care services delivered through partner hospitals, and equity/licensing income from spin-offs. The institute operates within a consortium of seven founding members (Crédit Mutuel, Fondation ARC, INRIA, IRCAD, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Karl Storz, Université de Strasbourg) and is part of the 19-member IHU France network, with additional partnerships spanning Dassault Systèmes (MediTwin), EAES, UEG, Siemens Healthineers, and Pentax Medical. Leadership comprises Director General Pr. Christian Debry (appointed November 2023), Scientific Director Pr. Nicolas Padoy (CompSURG ERC grantee), and Director of Education Pr. Silvana Perretta (SAGES 2025 Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy).

Name

Institute of Image Guided Surgery

Legal name

Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire de Strasbourg

Website

https://ihu-strasbourg.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IHU Strasbourg is a French non-profit research institute developing and commercializing image-guided minimally invasive surgical therapies through AI medical devices (mAI Companion), robotic platforms (IMARA), international training programs, and technology-transfer spin-offs for clinicians and patients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surgical Research and Medical Education

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Educational Support Services (61171), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Medical Licensure Exam Prep (USMLE/COMLEX, NCLEX, Dentistry, Pharmacy, PA) (EDANAIAA)

Keywords

• Image-guided surgery
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Therapeutic endoscopy
• Surgical training programs
• Translational medical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (PIA): IHU Strasbourg is part of the Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir (PIA) with reference ANR-10-IAHU-02, receiving sustained government support for research translation and valorization
2. Training and Education Programs: Revenue from international medical training courses including ITEC (International Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound), B.E.S.T. Innovation Course, Surgical Data Science Summer School, Masters programs, and fellowships
3. Clinical Care Services: Patient care services across specialties including hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, bariatric surgery, and therapeutic endoscopy
4. Technology Transfer and Spin-offs: Revenue generation through spin-off companies commercializing medical devices and AI solutions developed at IHU (e.g., Taurus Endoscopy, mAI Companion, Scialytics, iGlobe Scientific)
5. Course Registration Fees: Fee-based training programs with early bird and full pricing tiers for medical professionals

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IHU Strasbourg is a multidisciplinary research institute that develops and delivers image-guided minimally invasive surgical therapies, advanced medical training programs, and translational research platforms from a 13,000 m² Strasbourg facility. Its commercial offerings center on paid international training courses (ITEC, B.E.S.T., SDS Summer School, Fellowships, Master M2), the CE MDR-certified mAI Companion AI echoendoscopy software, and technology transfer via MedTech spin-offs such as Taurus Endoscopy.

Product overview

IHU Strasbourg operates as a multidisciplinary research institute focused on image-guided therapies and minimally invasive surgery. The portfolio combines AI-powered medical devices (mAI Companion for echoendoscopy), medical training programs (ITEC, B.E.S.T., Surgical Data Science Summer School, Fellowships, Master programs), and innovative research platforms (IMARA robotic assistance, 5G-OR connected operating room). The institute also spins off companies including Taurus Endoscopy (endoscopic clips) and supports startups like RDS (MultiSense connected patch) and Scialytics (AI surgical risk ecosystem).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ITEC: International Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound Course - advanced training in therapeutic echoendoscopy
• IMARA
• mAI Companion
• MONIT-OR

Products and services

• mAI Companion CE MDR-certified AI-powered echoendoscopy assistance system for pancreatic cancer detection used by clinicians as a second observer during endoscopic ultrasound procedures.
• ITEC (International Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound) 3-day advanced training course in therapeutic endoscopic ultrasound featuring 14 hours of hands-on practice with in-vivo pathological models, endorsed by UEG and aimed at physicians with confirmed experience in diagnostic EUS and interventional endoscopy.
• B.E.S.T. Innovation Course Business Engineering and Surgical Technologies MedTech bootcamp covering innovative minimally invasive surgical strategies, designed to train innovators and entrepreneurs in surgical technology.
• Surgical Data Science Summer School Annual 5-day intensive program where clinicians and engineers collaborate on AI-augmented surgery tools, with international participants and expert speakers.
• Fellowship in Translational Medicine, AI and Innovation International fellowship program combining translational medicine, artificial intelligence, and medical innovation for clinicians seeking advanced training.
• Master M2 Surgical Science & Innovation Technology University-hosted master's program covering surgical endoscopy, bariatric surgery, ERCP, and echoendoscopy with intensive practical sessions at IHU Strasbourg.
• Taurus 1 Endoscopic Clip Innovative implantable clip for gastrointestinal closure in flexible endoscopy, developed by IHU Strasbourg spin-off Taurus Endoscopy.

Quantifiable outcome

• mAI Companion increases accuracy of small pancreatic lesion detection from 70.5% to 82.0%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• IRCAD FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2011Founding member of IHU Strasbourg. IRCAD (Research Institute against Digestive Cancer) is physically connected to IHU and provides research and teaching capabilities. IRCAD's international network includes centers in Taiwan and Brazil, enabling global reach for training and research collaboration.
• Hôpitaux Universitaires de StrasbourgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2011Founding member providing clinical infrastructure and patient care capabilities. IHU building is physically connected to Nouvel Hôpital Civil for integrated patient care and clinical research collaboration.
• Université de StrasbourgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2011Founding member providing academic research capabilities and student pipeline. Collaboration includes joint programs like Master M2 Surgical Science & Innovation Technology and research partnerships with ICube laboratory.
• Karl StorzcoreTechnology or Integration · 28 November 2011Founding member and medical technology partner providing endoscopic and surgical equipment technologies for IHU facilities and training programs.
• INRIAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2011Founding member providing research expertise in computer science, robotics, and digital health. Supports AI and surgical data science research programs.
• Fondation ARCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2011Founding member cancer research foundation providing funding and expertise for oncology research programs including pancreatic and liver cancer detection and treatment.
• Dassault SystèmesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in MediTwin consortium (supported by France 2030) developing virtual twins for medical practice. IHU Strasbourg participates in symposiums and research on virtual patient modeling.
• TEF-Health ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPan-European consortium bridging AI and robotics research and market applications in healthcare. IHU Strasbourg participates as member addressing regulatory and clinical validation challenges.
• ICube LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComputer science and robotics research laboratory at Université de Strasbourg collaborating on surgical robotics, ROSCon events, ARC MedTech needle project, and digital surgery research.
• EAESmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Association for Endoscopic Surgery partnership for annual congress training courses. IHU organizes hands-on flexible endoscopy courses at EAES events.
• United European Gastroenterology (UEG)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerUEG provides official endorsement for ITEC (International Therapeutic Endoscopic Ultrasound) course, recognizing it as international reference standard in therapeutic echoendoscopy.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Boston Scientific: Major MedTech company with significant endoscopic, GI, and surgical portfolios. Comparable as an incumbent whose commercial scale and established physician relationships influence adoption pathways for IHU's AI endoscopy and surgical risk products (Scialytics, mAI Companion).
• Intuitive Surgical: Da Vinci surgical robotics platform leader and dominant commercial force in image-guided minimally invasive surgery. While IHU's mAI Companion and IMARA target adjacent niches (AI endoscopy, nurse-assistive robotics), Intuitive sets the commercial benchmark and competitive ceiling for any image-guided surgical platform.
• Stryker: Owner of the Mako robotic surgery platform and a broad surgical/medical device portfolio. Comparable as an incumbent investing heavily in AI-assisted and image-guided orthopedic and surgical procedures overlapping IHU's clinical and translational scope.
• CMR Surgical: Developer of the Versius next-generation surgical robotic system targeting laparoscopic procedures. Comparable as a focused commercial entrant in robotic minimally invasive surgery, paralleling IHU's IMARA research platform trajectory.
• KARL STORZ: Global leader in endoscopic equipment and a founding member of IHU Strasbourg. Provides the rigid and flexible endoscopy technology platform that IHU's training, clinical, and research programs depend on, making it both a strategic partner and a closely aligned incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• Medtronic: Diversified MedTech giant with the Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system and broad GI/surgical portfolios. Comparable as a deep-pocketed incumbent competing in the same image-guided and minimally invasive surgery category where IHU and its spin-offs operate.

Direct peers

• Surgical Science: Leading provider of virtual reality surgical simulation training, directly comparable to IHU's ATTC training franchise (ITEC, B.E.S.T., SDS Summer School) and Taurus endoscopic simulation content. Both monetize advanced surgical skill training globally to medical professionals and academic centers.
• VirtaMed: Swiss-based medical simulation company offering endoscopic and laparoscopic training simulators — overlapping directly with IHU's therapeutic endoscopy training programs and the ENSIST project (in collaboration with InSimo).
• IRCAD (Research Institute against Digestive Cancer): Co-founding partner of IHU Strasbourg and physically co-located within the same Strasbourg campus. Both organizations specialize in minimally invasive and image-guided digestive surgery training, translational research, and global medical education, sharing faculty and infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Johns Hopkins Surgical AI Lab: Academic research group pioneering AI applications in surgery and surgical data science, paralleling IHU's CAMMA team and SDS Summer School. Comparable as an emerging academic force in the same AI-surgery research domain with overlapping publication and conference presence (MICCAI, etc.).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IHUStrasbourg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ihustrasbourg6796
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ihu-strasbourg
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihu.strasbourg

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Image Guided Surgery