DGSens

What DGSens does

DGSens (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sensorik e. V.) is a Hamburg-based, registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded on 15 November 2010 that serves as Germany's national professional body for sensory science — the discipline of evaluating products through the human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing) using experimental design and statistical methods. The association connects over 300 members drawn from sensory professionals in industry, universities, and research institutes, with notable corporate participation from Döhler, Ferrero, Nestlé, Symrise, Beiersdorf, and Limbach Analytics, and academic involvement from HAW Hamburg, FH Münster, and Hochschule Harz.

The organization's core "products" are member services rather than commercial goods: the annual Deutsche Sensoriktage conference (held since 2012, ~150 in-person attendees plus a 372-participant virtual edition in 2020), Fortbildungen workshops and seminars with limited seats at EUR 329–479, a one-year mentorship program now in its fourth iteration, the Förderpreis award program (46 young scientists recognized since 2012), member-only job board and content portal, twelve self-organized regional and thematic working groups, and a collaborative research project on sensory method comparison. The board includes DIN Normenausschuss Sensorik contributors, embedding DGSens in German and European standards work.

Revenue mechanics are membership-driven and modest in scale. Annual dues are tiered at EUR 100 for individuals, EUR 30 for students and unemployed persons, and EUR 250 for corporate members (covering up to three seats), supplemented by event registration fees, workshop fees, and minor sponsor revenue. As a founding member of the E3S (European Sensory Science Society), DGSens resells access to a 16-country European network — including discounts on Elsevier publications — to its members. Governance is exercised by an all-volunteer, honorary board led since 2016 by chairman Dr. Dirk Minkner, with paid administrative support via a Geschäftsstelle hosted at HAW Hamburg.

Name

DGSens

Legal name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sensorik e. V.

Website

https://dgsens.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DGSens is the German national non-profit association for sensory science, connecting 300+ industry, academic, and research professionals through an annual conference, workshops, mentorship, awards, and working groups, funded by membership dues and event fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide the primary revenue stream. Fees vary by member type: natural persons (EUR 100/year), students/unemployed (EUR 30/year), and companies/juridical persons (EUR 250/year). Pro-rated half-year fees apply for members joining after July 1.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from paid workshops, seminars, and training sessions at the annual Deutsche Sensoriktage conference. Fortbildungen (advanced training) priced at EUR 329-479 for members/non-members, with early-bird discounts available.
3. Corporate Membership Benefits: Company membership includes up to three registered company members who can use DGSens and E3S member benefits, plus access to the job board for posting vacancies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DGSens is a German non-profit professional association for sensory science that operates as a national membership network for sensory scientists, industry professionals, students, and academic researchers. The association delivers services including the annual Deutsche Sensoriktage conference, workshops and seminars, a mentorship program, regional and thematic working groups, a job board, research projects, and the Förderpreis award for young scientists, with a community of more than 300 members headquartered in Hamburg.

Product overview

DGSens (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sensorik e.V.) is a non-profit professional association for sensory science in Germany, founded in 2010 and based in Hamburg. The organization offers a portfolio of member services including the annual Deutsche Sensoriktage conference (Germany's premier sensory science event since 2012), professional workshops and seminars covering statistics, sensory methods, and panel training, a one-year mentor program for early-career sensory scientists, an annual award program (Förderpreis für Jung-Sensoriker) recognizing outstanding young professionals, collaborative research projects comparing sensory methods, an exclusive job board for members, and working groups (both regional and thematic) for professional networking. The organization has over 300 members from industry, universities, and research institutes and represents Germany in the European Sensory Science Society (E3S). DGSens operates a WooCommerce-based shop for event registrations and publishes scientific literature and resources for its members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Deutsche Sensoriktage (Annual Conference)
• Workshops and Seminars
• Mentorship Program
• Förderpreis (Young Scientists Award)
• Job Board
• Working Groups (Regional and Thematic)
• Research Projects
• Individual Membership
• Corporate Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 young sensory scientists awarded since 2012 through the Förderpreis program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• E3S (European Sensory Science Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010DGSens is a founding member of E3S, representing Germany in this European umbrella organization for sensory science. This membership provides DGSens members with access to a 16-country European network, European working groups, event discounts, and benefits such as 25% discount on Elsevier publications and reduced subscription to the journal 'Food, Quality and Preference'. DGSens board members have served on the E3S board, with Dr. Dirk Minkner elected as E3S Chairman in 2026.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Society of Sensory Professionals (SSP): US-based professional association for sensory and consumer scientists, offering certification, webinars, and networking events analogous to DGSens' Deutsche Sensoriktage, workshops, and mentorship program. Closest international functional analogue.
• E3S (European Sensory Science Society): The pan-European umbrella for national sensory science associations of which DGSens is a founding member. Both organizations run conferences (Eurosense), publish sensory research, and represent sensory professionals — making E3S the closest structural peer to DGSens at the European level.

Broad incumbents

• DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft): Germany's leading agricultural and food quality society, running long-established food awards and sensory panel evaluations. It overlaps with DGSens on food sensory testing and German industry engagement but operates at much larger scale with broader scope.
• EFFoST (European Federation of Food Science and Technology): European umbrella for food science organizations with overlapping membership audiences. Comparable to DGSens at the European level but covers broader food science rather than specializing in sensory analysis.
• IFT (Institute of Food Technologists): Large US/global food science professional society that includes substantial sensory and consumer science content within a broader food technology portfolio. Indirectly competes for sensory professionals' attention and corporate training budgets.
• ASTM International Committee E18 on Sensory Evaluation: Global standards body whose E18 committee sets sensory evaluation methods and practices. Comparable to DGSens in setting the methodological agenda, but operates as a paid-membership standards organization rather than a community association.

Regional players

• Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium: Premier biennial global sensory science conference, organized through a steering committee with rotating host regions. Comparable to the Deutsche Sensoriktage as a flagship sensory gathering but operates at international scale on a different cadence.

Emerging players

• Sensometrics Society: International society focused on the statistical and computational methods underlying sensory science. While smaller and more academic than DGSens, it serves a partially overlapping audience of sensory researchers and methodologists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DGSens

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DGSens