End-of-Life Care Research Group

What End-of-Life Care Research Group does

The End-of-Life Care Research Group is an interdisciplinary academic research consortium jointly operated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Ghent University, founded in 2000 by Prof. Luc Deliens and led since 2024 by Prof. Lieve Van den Block, Prof. Joachim Cohen, and Prof. Kenneth Chambaere. Headquartered at VUB Campus Jette in Brussels with a secondary site at Ghent University Hospital, the group employs approximately 60 staff with scientific backgrounds in sociology, health sciences, psychology, ethics, medicine, and nursing. It conducts mixed-methods research — including epidemiological studies, randomized controlled trials, qualitative interviews, experience sampling methods, and administrative data linkage — into palliative and end-of-life care for populations including older adults, cancer patients, nursing home residents, and pediatric patients.

The group's outputs consist of peer-reviewed academic publications (over 600 papers and book chapters attributed to the founding professor), PhD dissertations, open-access books, and applied research tools such as the VZP+ advance care planning toolkit and a COVID-19 communication guide for healthcare providers. Its technical differentiators include an adapted Experience Sampling Method for advanced cancer patients, a data linkage framework combining BelRAI long-term care assessments with national health insurance claims, and a multi-site qualitative case study framework for digital patient-reported outcome measures. Notable active projects include JANE2 (€4.8M, 2024-2028), the ERC-funded TRAJECT project (2023-2028), and the IRIS MSCA COFUND postdoctoral programme (€6M) co-founded with Université libre de Bruxelles.

The organization does not operate as a commercial entity. Its revenue model is entirely grant-based, drawing on European Commission framework programmes (Horizon Europe, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), the European Research Council, the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), the AXA Research Fund, and charitable sources such as Kom op tegen Kanker and the King Baudouin Foundation, supplemented by university internal research funds. Customers in the conventional sense are absent; instead, the group serves the academic and healthcare research community, policymakers, and vulnerable patient populations, with findings disseminated via publications, policy advisory work, and clinical implementation partnerships with Belgian university hospitals.

Name

End-of-Life Care Research Group

Legal name

End-of-Life Care Research Group

Website

https://endoflifecare.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The End-of-Life Care Research Group is an interdisciplinary academic consortium jointly operated by VUB and Ghent University in Belgium, conducting mixed-methods scientific research on palliative and end-of-life care across Europe, serving researchers, policymakers, and vulnerable patient populations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research — Palliative and End-of-Life Care

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospice & Palliative Care Care Coordination / Navigation (HLADAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Based Palliative Care (Home-Based Non-Hospice) (HLADAHAH), Specialty Palliative Care (e.g., oncology, CHF/COPD, dementia) (HLADAHAJ), Non-Hospice Serious-Illness / Community-Based Palliative Care (In-Home) (HSABAFAF)

Keywords

• Palliative care research
• End-of-life studies
• Public health research
• Advance care planning
• Healthcare quality assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Jette

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

Revenue model

1. European Commission Research Grants: Primary funding from EU Framework Programmes including Horizon Europe for projects such as JANE2, EU MyPath, EU Navigate, EU-CoWork, IRIS MSCA COFUND postdoctoral programme
2. Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) Grants: Postdoctoral fellowships and research grants from the Flemish research foundation
3. AXA Research Fund Fellowship: Postdoctoral Fellowship funding from AXA Research Fund
4. Charitable Research Funding: Research grants from cancer societies including Kom op tegen Kanker (Cancer Society of Flanders) and King Baudouin Foundation
5. Government Research Funding: Funding from Belgian Federal Ministry of Science Policy, Flemish government agency IWT, Department of Science Policy of the Brussels Government, and Netherlands Organisation for Health Research Development (ZONMW)
6. University Research Funds: OZR Research Fund of VUB and BOF Research Fund of Ghent University support internal research activities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The End-of-Life Care Research Group conducts interdisciplinary scientific research in palliative and end-of-life care, spanning epidemiology, randomized controlled trials, qualitative studies, and population-level data linkage using Belgian administrative healthcare databases. Its tangible outputs include peer-reviewed publications, PhD dissertations, educational books, policy toolkits (VZP+ Toolkit for advance care planning), communication guides (COVID-19 guide for healthcare providers), and quality-of-life measurement instruments developed with EORTC.

Product overview

The End-of-Life Care Research Group is a research institution affiliated with Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University, not a commercial product company. It conducts scientific research in end-of-life care across Belgium and Europe. Its primary outputs include academic publications, PhD dissertations, books, and research tools such as the VZP+ Toolkit for advance care planning and a COVID-19 communication guide for healthcare providers. The group does not offer commercial software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications and Dissertations Academic publications, PhD dissertations, and scientific reports covering palliative care, euthanasia practices, advance care planning, end-of-life decision-making, and quality indicators in end-of-life care across Belgium and Europe; targeted at the research community, policymakers, and healthcare professionals.
• VZP+ Toolkit A toolkit for advance care planning in nursing homes, developed as part of the Voorafgaande Zorgplanning (VZP) project to support implementation of advance care planning practices; intended for nursing home staff and palliative care practitioners.
• COVID-19 Communication Guide for Healthcare Providers A practical guide providing communication strategies for healthcare providers to discuss difficult topics related to the COVID-19 crisis with patients and their families, covering screening, preferences, triage, admission, guidance, decisions, limited resources, notification, anticipation, and bereavement; intended for healthcare providers in palliative and end-of-life care.
• Educational Books on Palliative Care Published books including '90 Vragen over Palliatieve Zorg en het Levenseinde', 'Palliatieve zorg, meer dan stervensbegeleiding', and international works on public health perspectives in end-of-life care; intended for the general public, healthcare professionals, and students of palliative care.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 peer-reviewed publications by founding professor alone, demonstrating sustained research output
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

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

• Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei TumorimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian cancer research institute collaborating as partner in JANE2 project focusing on palliative care networks of expertise across Europe
• SciensanomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian scientific institute of public health collaborating in JANE2 project on cancer networks of expertise
• Masarykuv Onkologicky Ustav (Czech Republic)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCzech oncology institute as partner in JANE2 European cancer collaboration network
• Netherlands Cancer InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Dutch cancer research center partnering in JANE2 and bladder cancer EORTC module update projects
• Oslo UniversitetssykehusmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian university hospital collaborating on JANE2 cancer networks and EU MyPath digital PROMs research across European sites
• National Cancer Institute (USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS National Cancer Institute participating as partner in JANE2 EU cancer networks of expertise initiative
• European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary collaborator in quality of life module development. EORTC Quality of Life Group leads international bladder cancer questionnaire update project (2026-2028) with testing across 9 countries
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinates EORTC bladder cancer quality of life module update project; hosts Dr Elke Rammant as former research fellow; key partner in PROMs research methodology
• Lund UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish university collaborating in international EORTC bladder cancer quality of life module testing across 9 countries
• Medical University of ViennamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian medical university partner in EORTC quality of life module validation study across multiple European sites
• Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder with VUB of IRIS MSCA COFUND postdoctoral programme, €6M initiative advancing interdisciplinary research at intersection of Université libre de Bruxelles, VUB, and European Commission
• UZ Brussel (University Hospital Brussels)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary clinical research partner for multiple projects including COMPASSION study, EU MyPath pilot implementation, and COFII phase I trial integration research
• UZ Gent (Ghent University Hospital)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor clinical research partner hosting PhD researchers, hosting Charlotte Boven postdoctoral research in Geriatric Medicine, and collaborator in COFII project
• UZA (University Hospital Antwerp)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAntwerp university hospital collaborating as partner in COFII project on palliative care integration in phase I experimental cancer trials
• Fulbright Scholar ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational scholarship programme enabling researcher exchange. Aline De Vleminck conducted research at National Palliative Care Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine New York under Prof Sean Morrison
• Jonge Academie (Young Academy of Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian young scientists network. Lara Pivodic is a member, providing interdisciplinary networking and science policy engagement opportunities

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Palliative Care Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: US-based academic palliative care research center supporting investigator-initiated studies in serious illness and end-of-life care. Direct peer in research funding, mentorship, and policy translation; the group has an existing Fulbright research exchange with this institution.
• End of Life Studies Group, University of Glasgow: Interdisciplinary research group at the University of Glasgow conducting sociological, historical, and policy-oriented research on dying, death, and bereavement across Europe. Direct peer in cross-national end-of-life care research and a regular collaborator in European palliative care networks.
• Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center - Palliative Care Research: Major Dutch academic medical center with an active palliative care research program, sharing VUB's university affiliation and a focus on advance care planning, elderly populations, and palliative care integration in oncology. Comparable in scale and methodological orientation to the Belgian research group.
• Aarhus University - Palliative Care Research Group: Danish academic group conducting population-based and clinical palliative care research, with a strong emphasis on registry studies, advance care planning, and international comparative work. Direct peer in methodology and an existing EU MyPath partner.
• International Observatory on End of Life Care, Lancaster University: UK-based academic research group focused on palliative and end-of-life care policy, hospice evaluation, and international comparative research. Direct peer in end-of-life care research, hospice sector analysis, and cross-national policy studies relevant to the Belgian consortium's work.
• Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London: The world's first purpose-built institute for palliative care research, based at King's College London. Direct peer in palliative and end-of-life care research methodology, with overlapping focus on advance care planning, complex intervention design, and PROMs; King's College London is also an existing JANE2 and EORTC partner of the End-of-Life Care Research Group.

Emerging players

• Public Health Palliative Care International (PHPCI): International network promoting public health approaches to palliative care, including compassionate communities and population-level interventions. Functions as an emerging player/thematic network aligned with the group's public health palliative care research agenda, where group members hold leadership roles.

Broad incumbents

• Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC): US-based national organization focused on improving access to quality palliative care through clinician training, technical assistance, and system-level improvement. Broader incumbent in the palliative care ecosystem; comparable only in domain, not in academic research focus.
• European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC): Pan-European membership association for palliative care professionals, providing research networking, congresses, and policy advocacy. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same space, of which the End-of-Life Care Research Group is a leading research node and former Research Network co-chair.

Regional players

• Centre for Palliative Care, University of Melbourne: Leading Australian academic palliative care research center with strong publication output and a focus on advance care planning, service delivery, and cancer-related end-of-life care. Functions as a regional peer given the geographic separation, but is highly comparable in research agenda and output.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/end-of-life-care-research-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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