Radiation Effects Research Foundation

What Radiation Effects Research Foundation does

Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) is a binational US-Japan cooperative, private nonprofit research institute headquartered in Hiroshima, Japan, with a second laboratory in Nagasaki. Founded in 1975 and tracing its lineage to the 1947 Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, RERF investigates the long-term health effects of ionizing radiation on atomic bomb survivors, their children (the F1 cohort), and in-utero exposed individuals, with the goal of contributing to global radiation protection science and public health.

RERF's core technical platform consists of multiple longitudinal cohorts and associated biobanks: the Life Span Study (LSS) tracking approximately 120,000 survivors and controls since 1950, the Adult Health Study (AHS) of roughly 23,000 participants receiving biennial clinical examinations, the F1 second-generation cohort of about 77,000 individuals, and an in-utero exposed cohort of approximately 3,600. The foundation has developed and maintained the DS02 (and predecessor DS86) dosimetry systems for precise dose reconstruction, employs cytogenetic techniques including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosome aberration analysis, operates a Biosample Research Center storing blood and urine samples collected since 1969, and conducts molecular genetics and immunology studies. Research outputs are disseminated through RERF Update (since 1989), E-News, Annual Reports, peer-reviewed publications, and open-access downloadable datasets.

RERF is funded through bilateral government appropriations from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the U.S. Department of Energy, supplemented by a public donation program. The foundation does not sell products or services commercially and operates as a public-interest research entity. Its findings underpin International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommendations and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reports that are adopted by approximately 12 national governments. The organization employs 11–50 staff, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, and is relocating its Hiroshima laboratory to Hiroshima University Kasumigaura Campus in 2026.

Name

Radiation Effects Research Foundation

Legal name

Radiation Effects Research Foundation

Website

https://rerf.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) is a binational US-Japan nonprofit research institute that conducts long-term epidemiological studies of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to inform global radiation protection standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Epidemiological Research Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Radiological (NORM/Low-Level) Remediation & Decommissioning (IMAIAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Site Assessment & Remedial Investigation (Phase II/III, Sampling & Characterization) (EUAIALAA)

Keywords

• Radiation epidemiology research
• Atomic bomb survivor studies
• Radiation dosimetry systems
• Longitudinal cohort studies
• Public health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiroshima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants and Appropriations: RERF is funded by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the U.S. Department of Energy through bilateral government appropriations, making it a publicly funded binational research institute rather than a commercially revenue-generating entity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RERF is a binational US-Japan cooperative research foundation that investigates the long-term health effects of atomic bomb radiation on survivors and their descendants. Its core activities comprise the Life Span Study, Adult Health Study, F1 (second generation) cohort, and in-utero cohort research; radiation dosimetry analysis; clinical examinations of survivors; biosample collection and molecular epidemiology; and dissemination of findings to inform global radiation protection standards.

Product overview

RERF (Radiation Effects Research Foundation) is a US-Japan cooperative research institute that investigates the health effects of atomic bomb radiation for peaceful purposes. Rather than a commercial technology product, RERF offers a portfolio of research publications, educational services, and public outreach programs. The core publications include RERF Update (periodical scientific commentary since 1989), RERF E-News (email magazine since 2019), Annual Reports, and scientific dosimetry reports (DS02, DS86). Educational offerings encompass web seminars on radiation, school visit programs, lecturer dispatch services, and facility tours at Hiroshima and Nagasaki laboratories. RERF also provides research data access, commemorative publications for its 50th anniversary, and pamphlets available in multiple languages explaining radiation and health sciences. The organization supports its mission through a donation program and maintains public inquiry and media access services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Adult Health Study (AHS) Clinical Examinations Biennial clinical health examinations provided directly to enrolled A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, including blood tests, urinalysis, ECG, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, and physician consultations. The service supports early disease detection and generates longitudinal clinical data.
• Open-Access Research Data Portal Free downloadable datasets for global researchers and policy bodies, including Life Span Study mortality reports, cancer incidence data, DS02 risk estimation data, and atomic bomb dosimetry data. Supports external radiation protection science and risk modeling.
• Lecturer Dispatch Service Public education service dispatching RERF researchers as lecturers to conferences, schools, and events in Japan to deliver talks on atomic bomb radiation health effects and radiation science fundamentals.
• School Visit Program Outreach program in which RERF scientists conduct radiation education lectures at schools, including cloud chamber demonstrations and dose attenuation experiments, often in cooperation with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum's Peace Club.
• Radiation Web Seminars Online educational seminars covering radiation basics, radiation health effects, and hereditary effects of radiation, aimed at general public audiences.
• Hiroshima Laboratory Tour Reservation-based guided tours of the Hiroshima laboratory facility, including lectures on RERF research and institutional history. Available to schools and organizations by reservation.
• Nagasaki Laboratory Tour Reservation-based guided tours of the Nagasaki laboratory facility for school groups and organizations, including presentations on RERF research and history. Available Monday through Friday.
• Overseas Survivor Health Examination Services Health examination and consultation services for approximately 2,400 A-bomb survivors residing in South Korea, delivered in partnership with the Japanese Red Cross Society and Korean Red Cross via semi-annual medical teams dispatched from Nagasaki.

Quantifiable outcome

• ICRP reduced occupational radiation limits from 50 mSv/year to 20 mSv/year based on RERF data in 1990 — the first reduction in over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Korean Red Cross SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004The Korean Red Cross Society collaborates with RERF and Nagasaki Prefecture/City to provide health examination and consultation services to approximately 2,400 A-bomb survivors living in South Korea. Medical teams are dispatched from Nagasaki semi-annually.
• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1975The U.S. Department of Energy provides joint funding and scientific oversight for RERF's research programs as one of the two binational funding agencies, alongside Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The DOE's Health, Environment and Safety Office oversees the U.S. side of the cooperation.
• U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) / National Research Council (NRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947The NAS/NRC provides ongoing scientific oversight and review of RERF's research through the Board of Councilors (BOC), which meets annually in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, or Washington, DC. The BOC comprises U.S. and Japanese scientific leaders who assess research progress and provide recommendations.
• Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947The MHLW provides joint funding and policy oversight for RERF alongside the U.S. Department of Energy, serving as one of the two binational funding agencies for the foundation's operations.
• U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) Radiation Epidemiology BranchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947The NCI Radiation Epidemiology Branch collaborates with RERF on radiation epidemiology research, providing scientific expertise and supporting data analysis for cancer risk estimation studies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• UK Biobank: Large-scale prospective biobank of ~500,000 participants providing open-access data to researchers worldwide; comparable to RERF in providing freely available epidemiological data infrastructure, though in a general-population context.
• Framingham Heart Study (Boston University / NHLBI): Multi-decade longitudinal cohort study that pioneered long-term epidemiological follow-up methodology; serves as a model cohort structure similar in longevity and population size to RERF's LSS, though in cardiovascular rather than radiation research.
• United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR): UN scientific body that synthesizes radiation-effects research (heavily drawing on RERF data) for member-state policy; a downstream user and stakeholder rather than a competing research organization.
• International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP): Nonprofit advisory body that adopts RERF findings into radiation protection recommendations — an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a research peer, but a primary consumer of RERF's research output.
• Mayo Clinic Biobank: Operates a large-scale human biobank with longitudinal specimen collection; methodologically analogous to RERF's Biosample Research Center though focused on general disease rather than radiation-specific outcomes.

Direct peers

• Nagasaki University Atomic Bomb Disease Institute: Conducts research on health effects of A-bomb radiation in Nagasaki survivors; an academic partner of RERF and the only other Japan-based institution with comparable subject matter, focus, and methodologies.
• U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) Radiation Epidemiology Branch: U.S. government agency conducting radiation epidemiology research; collaborates directly with RERF on cancer risk estimation and shares methodological frameworks for studying cancer in irradiated populations.
• National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST, formerly NIRS): Japan's primary national institute for radiological sciences, including low-dose radiation effects research; offers the closest in-country overlap with RERF's radiation health focus from a research-agency perspective.

Broad incumbents

• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): WHO agency coordinating international cancer research, including radiation carcinogenesis studies; shares RERF's cancer epidemiology mission at a global policy level.
• Hiroshima University Radiation Biology Medical Research Institute: A major Japanese academic research institution conducting radiation biology studies alongside broader medical research; a RERF partner and the host institution for RERF's post-relocation campus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RERF_japan
• Facebookfacebook.com/Radiation-Effects-Research-Foundation-%E6%94%BE%E5%BD%B1%E7%A0%94-1484115061815543
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/radiation-effects-research-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Radiation Effects Research Foundation