National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit is a University of Oxford research unit, founded in 1978, that conducts epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and national maternity surveys to generate evidence informing UK NHS and government policy on maternal, neonatal, and perinatal health.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit does
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) is an academic research unit within the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford, established in 1978 to conduct epidemiological and clinical research improving care for mothers, babies, and families. NPEU operates an integrated research platform comprising several interconnected programmes: the NPEU Clinical Trials Unit (a fully UKCRC-registered unit running large multi-centre randomised controlled trials), the National Maternity Surveys programme (population-based surveys conducted since 1995, with the latest "You & Your Baby 2024" recruiting 3,728 women), MBRRACE-UK (the national confidential enquiry into maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths covering 1,969,321 maternities in 2022-24), the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) for rare obstetric conditions, PRU-MNHC (the NIHR-funded Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care, operational since January 2019), and SHEER (Social Sciences, Health Economics and Epidemiological Research). The unit also operates a secure web-based randomisation system supporting trials such as BASE, DOLFIN, MAMA, neoGASTRIC, and TOAST.
NPEU's primary customers are institutional rather than commercial: the UK NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, and Public Health England use its findings to inform maternity policy, clinical guidelines, and service planning. Secondary stakeholders include charities serving maternal mental health (NCT, PANDAS Foundation, Birth Trauma Association, Bliss). The unit's revenue model is entirely grant-funded, with core funding from the NIHR Policy Research Programme (grants NIHR206113 and PR-PRU-1217-21202); research outputs are published openly without fees, and there is no commercial product pricing. On 2 February 2026, NPEU officially joined the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, consolidating Oxford's leadership in women's, maternal and reproductive health research. Recent deliverables include the June 2026 Listen2Baby Toolkit, a June 2026 study quantifying £352 million/year in costs from ethnic inequalities in maternal outcomes, and ongoing MBRRACE-UK surveillance showing maternal death rates 20% higher in 2022-24 than 2009-11.
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
- Legal name
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
- Website
- https://npeu.ox.ac.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit is a University of Oxford research unit, founded in 1978, that conducts epidemiological studies, clinical trials, and national maternity surveys to generate evidence informing UK NHS and government policy on maternal, neonatal, and perinatal health.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Perinatal Health Research
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer) (HLAJANAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Newborn Screening & Genetic Public Health Laboratories (HLAJAIAJ)
Keywords
Where National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- NIHR Policy Research Programme Funding: Core funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme via the Department of Health and Social Care (England), specifically through the Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care (PRU-MNHC), grant reference PR-PRU-1217-21202 and NIHR206113
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) is a research unit at the University of Oxford that conducts epidemiological research, large multi-centre randomised controlled trials, population-based national maternity surveys, and confidential enquiries into maternal and neonatal deaths. It delivers evidence-based research outputs to inform NHS clinical practice, government health policy, and improvements in maternity and neonatal care across the UK. The unit operates multiple interconnected programmes including a UKCRC-registered Clinical Trials Unit, the MBRRACE-UK maternal mortality surveillance collaboration, UKOSS rare obstetric condition surveillance, the PRU-MNHC policy research programme, and longitudinal National Maternity Surveys dating back to 1995.
Product overview
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) is a research unit at the University of Oxford conducting robust research to improve care for mothers, babies, and families since 1978. The NPEU operates as an integrated research platform comprising multiple interconnected research programmes: the NPEU Clinical Trials Unit (a UKCRC-registered CTU running large multi-centre RCTs), the Secure Randomisation Site for trial randomisation, the National Maternity Surveys programme (You & Your Baby series since 1995), the Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care (PRU-MNHC), MBRRACE-UK for maternal and infant mortality surveillance, UKOSS for rare obstetric conditions, and SHEER for social sciences and health economics research. The unit officially joined the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health in February 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NPEU Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) A fully registered UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit that designs, coordinates, and conducts large multi-centre Randomised Controlled Trials in perinatal research, supporting clinical trialists and NHS partners across the UK.
- Secure Randomisation Site
Quantifiable outcome
- Found that maternal death rates were 20% higher in 2022-24 than 2009-11, informing renewed focus on maternal safety initiatives
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- University of Oxford - Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health (NDWRH)coreAs of 2 February 2026, NPEU officially joined the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, consolidating Oxford's leadership in women's, maternal and reproductive health research. The integration brings together clinical research, trials, data science, and global health expertise across the translational pathway from research to clinical practice and policy impact. Professor Krina Zondervan serves as Head of NDWRH.
- Office for National Statistics (ONS)coreNPEU partners with ONS for the National Maternity Surveys, using birth registers to identify and recruit representative samples of women who gave birth in England for population-based surveys.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Centre for Pregnancy and Life Course Research (QMUL): Queen Mary University of London research centre focused on maternal and child health epidemiology. Comparable as a UK academic perinatal epidemiology group conducting population-based cohort and trial research competing for similar NIHR and charity funding.
- UCL Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health: UCL institute delivering research across women's health including pregnancy and perinatal epidemiology. Comparable as a UK university-hosted research entity focused on women's reproductive and maternal health outcomes.
- NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty: Sister NIHR Policy Research Unit operating under the same funding mechanism (NIHR Policy Research Programme via DHSC) with parallel structure and remit. Directly comparable as a government-funded, university-hosted policy research unit delivering commissioned evidence to NHS England.
- King's College London — Department of Women & Children's Health: Large UK academic department running maternal and perinatal research including trials and surveillance. Comparable in scale, university-hosted structure, and clinical trial activity within UK perinatal research.
- Tommy's National Centre for Maternity Improvement: Tommy's-funded centre at King's College London focused on reducing stillbirth and preterm birth through research and clinical tools. Directly comparable in UK maternal health research remit and NHS-facing translational work.
Others
- Office for National Statistics (ONS) Health Statistics: UK national statistics body that NPEU partners with for birth-register sampling in National Maternity Surveys. Comparable as a key data infrastructure provider in UK maternal health evidence generation rather than a direct research competitor.
Emerging players
- Centre for Maternal and Child Health (CMCH), City University of London: Smaller UK academic centre focused on maternal and child health policy research. Comparable in maternal health research scope and policy-facing output, but at a smaller scale than NPEU.
Regional players
- Karolinska Institutet Department of Women's and Children's Health: Sweden-based university department delivering perinatal epidemiology, trials, and population research. Comparable in academic structure and maternal/child health scope, but operating in a different national health system.
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute: Australia-based paediatric and maternal health research institute running large population studies and clinical trials. Comparable as a non-UK perinatal research centre of similar scale and epidemiological methodology.
Broad incumbents
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford: Former parent department of NPEU at Oxford with much broader population-health remit. Comparable as Oxford-based academic epidemiology research infrastructure but operates at a wider scope than perinatal specialisation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit social profiles
Digital presenceNational Perinatal Epidemiology Unit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
What does National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit do?
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) is a research unit at the University of Oxford that conducts epidemiological research, large multi-centre randomised controlled trials, population-based national maternity surveys, and confidential enquiries into maternal and neonatal deaths. It delivers evidence-based research outputs to inform NHS clinical practice, government health policy, and improvements in maternity and neonatal care across the UK. The unit operates multiple interconnected programmes including a UKCRC-registered Clinical Trials Unit, the MBRRACE-UK maternal mortality surveillance collaboration, UKOSS rare obstetric condition surveillance, the PRU-MNHC policy research programme, and longitudinal National Maternity Surveys dating back to 1995.
Is National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit a public or private company?
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit founded?
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit based?
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit make money?
One revenue line is on record: NIHR Policy Research Programme Funding.
Who are National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Centre for Pregnancy and Life Course Research (QMUL), UCL Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Institute for Women's Health, NIHR Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty, King's College London — Department of Women & Children's Health and Tommy's National Centre for Maternity Improvement. Office for National Statistics (ONS) Health Statistics is listed as an others. Centre for Maternal and Child Health (CMCH), City University of London is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Karolinska Institutet Department of Women's and Children's Health and Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit.
What industry is National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in?
National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit's product category is Perinatal Health Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJANAG, Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer), with a secondary code of HLAJAIAJ, Newborn Screening & Genetic Public Health Laboratories. Its NAICS code is 54172 and its SIC code is 8731.