SICOT

What SICOT does

SICOT (Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie) is a Belgian-incorporated international non-profit professional association founded in 1929 that serves as one of the oldest global societies for orthopaedic surgeons and traumatologists. It operates as a membership-based organization spanning 110+ member nations, delivering its core value through five distinct revenue streams: annual membership dues (Active EUR 200, Associate EUR 100, with reduced tiers for World Bank low-income countries), congress registration fees (anchored by the annual Orthopaedic World Congress rotating across host cities, including Kyoto in September 2026), publication subscriptions (International Orthopaedics Journal and SICOT-J), examination fees for the internationally administered SICOT Diploma Examination (held annually since 2003), and fellowship administrative fees. Its customer base is horizontal: fully qualified orthopaedic surgeons as the primary segment, with secondary segments of young/trainee surgeons under 40, professionals serving in humanitarian/conflict settings, and national orthopaedic societies engaged through the Friendship Nations program.

SICOT's technical footprint consists of a digital membership and education platform rather than a proprietary software product. The platform encompasses SICOT PIONEER (an e-learning system delivering webinars, virtual training, podcasts, and surgical technique videos), SICOT CONECT (a Board of Subspecialties networking platform), an online membership portal at sicot.eventsair.com, and an OrthoEvidence research database offering free premium access to members. The organization does not maintain a consumer mobile application or public API, and product development focuses on content production and credentialing rather than software IP.

The business model is community-led and event-driven rather than commercially led. Go-to-market relies on the society's reputation, fellowship pipeline, and recurring event cadence to convert surgeons into members and examination candidates. Strategic partnerships are structurally important: SICOT holds official non-state actor relations with the World Health Organization (collaboration on GIEESC, IMEESC, and surgical site infection prevention), operates a humanitarian partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières dating to post-2004 Indian Ocean tsunami efforts, and maintains regional society ties (SOFCOT, SLARD, Friendship Nations partners such as APOA and Pan Arab orthopaedic associations). Industry partnerships are minor, exemplified by Arthrex's support for cadaver courses. The organization has no parent company, no public listing, and one identified subsidiary, the SICOT Foundation, which supports its charitable and educational mission.

Name

SICOT

Legal name

SICOT, Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie

Website

https://sicot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SICOT is a Belgian-incorporated international non-profit professional association serving orthopaedic surgeons and traumatologists across 110+ member nations. It delivers membership services, the annual Orthopaedic World Congress, the SICOT Diploma Examination, e-learning via SICOT PIONEER, fellowships, and peer-reviewed publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orthopaedic Professional Society Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Orthopedic & Sports Rehabilitation Centers (HLAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Orthopaedic professional society
• Medical membership organization
• Surgical credentialing examination
• Orthopaedic continuing education
• Medical association publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Bruyelle

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from Active, Associate, and Emeritus members. Dues vary by country classification (low-income vs rest of world) and membership category.
2. Congress Registration Fees: Fees collected from attendees at the annual SICOT Orthopaedic World Congress and other events.
3. Publication Access: Revenue from International Orthopaedics Journal subscriptions and SICOT publications for members and non-members.
4. Examination Fees: Fees for the SICOT Diploma Examination, which includes written MCQ and oral viva voce components.
5. Fellowship Administrative Fees: SICOT administers various fellowship programs with some requiring application fees or providing stipends funded by SICOT and partner institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SICOT is an international non-profit professional society that delivers membership-based services to orthopaedic surgeons and traumatologists across 110+ nations. Its core offerings include tiered annual membership (Active, Associate, Emeritus), the international SICOT Diploma Examination, the SICOT PIONEER e-learning platform, the SICOT CONECT subspecialty networking platform, peer-reviewed publications (International Orthopaedics and SICOT-J), the annual Orthopaedic World Congress, structured fellowship programs at multiple global centers, and hands-on cadaver courses.

Product overview

SICOT (Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie) is an international non-profit professional society for orthopaedic surgeons, not a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of membership-based services, educational programs, publications, credentialing examinations, and professional development opportunities. The core offerings include the SICOT Diploma Examination (a two-part written and oral assessment for orthopaedic knowledge), SICOT PIONEER (a comprehensive e-learning platform providing webinars, virtual training, podcasts, and exam resources), and SICOT CONECT (a networking platform for subspecialized surgeons). The society also publishes the International Orthopaedics Journal and SICOT-J, organizes the annual SICOT World Congress, offers fellowships at international orthopaedic centers, provides cadaver courses and training programs, and grants access to OrthoEvidence and JBJS Clinical Classroom as member benefits. The organization operates across 110+ member nations with headquarters in Belgium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SICOT PIONEER: Programme of Innovation Orthopaedic Networking, E-learning, Education & Research - an online learning platform offering webinars, forums, educational content, and surgical technique resources for orthopaedic professionals.
• SICOT CONECT

Products and services

• International Orthopaedics Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• SICOT Diploma Examination has been held annually since 2003, testing core clinical knowledge and competence across the breadth of Trauma & Orthopaedics.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICOT is a non-state actor in official relations with WHO. The partnership involves collaboration on global initiatives including the Global Initiative for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (GIEESC), development of the Integrated Management for Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (IMEESC) toolkit, and global guidelines on prevention of surgical site infection. Additionally, SICOT contributes to WHO's 'Project Notify' for systematic reporting of adverse reactions in musculoskeletal allografts.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration began after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, 2005 Pakistan Earthquake, and 2010 Haitian earthquake. SICOT leverages its network of qualified orthopaedic surgeons while MSF contributes experience in emergency medical care. Joint efforts focus on improving surgical and orthopaedic care in emergency situations, with SICOT providing educational resources on topics including amputation, triage, external fixation, and war injury management.
• SOFCOT (French Society of Orthopaedic Surgery)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOFCOT is listed as a partner society of SICOT, indicating collaborative relationship for joint meetings and knowledge exchange between the two orthopaedic societies.
• Friendship Nations Partner CountriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Friendship Nations program honors specific nations at SICOT meetings. Past partners include India (2009), Japan (2010), China and Russian-speaking countries (2011), Pan Arab Orthopaedic Association member countries (2012, 2019, 2023), SLAOT Latin American countries (2014), APOA Asia Pacific countries (2015, 2022), Italy (2016), African nations (2017), Latin American nations (2018), Central European nations (2021), and Balkan Region (2024).
• SLARD (Latin American Society of Arthroscopy, Joint Reconstruction and Sports Trauma)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSICOT Knee Committee partners with SLARD for joint webinars and educational events, including webinars on Complex Primary Knee Replacement.
• ArthrexminorOthersArthrex provides cutting-edge audiovisual resources and support for SICOT cadaver courses, offering state-of-the-art lab facilities for hands-on surgical training.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA): Regional orthopaedic society covering Asia Pacific with membership, biennial congresses, fellowship programs, and educational activities — comparable to SICOT in structure and offerings but focused on the Asia Pacific region.
• EFORT (European Federation of National Associations of Orthopaedics and Traumatology): European umbrella body for orthopaedic societies, EFORT is directly comparable to SICOT as a multi-national federation offering membership, annual congresses, education, and specialty certification across European member nations.
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): The largest orthopaedic professional membership society in the world, AAOS is a directly comparable professional society providing membership, education (Orthopaedic Learning Center), CME, board review courses, and an annual meeting — operating as SICOT does, but with a US-centric scope and larger scale.

Regional players

• SLARD (Sociedad Latinoamericana de Artroscopía, Rodilla y Traumatología Deportiva): Latin American arthroscopy and sports trauma society and listed SICOT partner; comparable member society model focused on a regional geography, with joint webinars and educational events with SICOT's Knee Committee.
• British Orthopaedic Association (BOA): UK national orthopaedic society offering membership, annual congress, education, and specialty standards; directly comparable to SICOT in structure but focused on the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies.
• Société Française de Chirurgie Orthopédique et Traumatologique (SOFCOT): French national orthopaedic society and listed SICOT partner, SOFCOT operates with similar membership, congress, and educational models but is anchored to the French market and serves a single national jurisdiction.

Emerging players

• ISAKOS (International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine): Global orthopaedic subspecialty society focused on sports medicine and arthroscopy; overlaps with SICOT's Board of Subspecialties (BOSS) and offers similar membership, congress, and fellowship models in a narrower specialty niche.
• Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA): Subspecialty orthopaedic society with membership, annual meeting, and fellowship offerings; comparable professional society structure but narrowly focused on pediatric orthopaedics within North America.
• Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA): International orthopaedic society dedicated to trauma care, comparable to SICOT's traumatology pillar; provides membership, annual meeting, and fellowship programming in the trauma subspecialty.

Broad incumbents

• AO Trauma: Part of the AO Foundation, AO Trauma is a globally recognized orthopaedic trauma education and clinical research organization offering fellowship-style training, courses, and certification — comparable to SICOT in trauma education but operating as a broader foundation-backed incumbent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SICOTortho
• Facebookfacebook.com/SICOTortho
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sicotortho
• Instagraminstagram.com/sicotortho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SICOT