Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG)

What Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG) does

The Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG) is a German federal public-health agency headquartered in Cologne, operating as a Bundesoberbehörde under the Federal Ministry of Health (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit). It was constituted in 2024 through the statutory rebranding and restructuring of its predecessor, the Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA), with an expanded mandate covering public-health communication, prevention, health promotion, the national organ donation register, and — new under BIÖG — evidence-based public-health research.

The agency's product portfolio centers on a TYPO3-based web platform hosting multiple specialized portals (a central site, infektionsschutz.de for infection protection, organ-spende-register.de for the official digital organ donation register, and topic-specific health portals), supplemented by telephone information hotlines and nationwide prevention campaigns such as "Be Smart – Don't Start" (delivered into 7,000+ school classes) and "Null Alkohol – Voll Power." Underlying technology components include Friendly Captcha for privacy-compliant bot protection, OpenStreetMap integration for location-based services, and a self-hosted Matomo deployment for web analytics compliant with German data-protection requirements. Fulfillment for organ-donation register correspondence is outsourced to PVS DVG, and a media partnership with RTL+/GZSZ extends organ-donation awareness into prime-time television.

BIÖG is funded entirely through the German federal budget via the Federal Ministry of Health and generates no commercial revenue. All services — web content, hotlines, the organ donation register, and campaign materials — are delivered free of charge to end users, with the agency's institutional purpose being nationwide public-health communication and registry operation rather than revenue generation. The agency's statutory status confers it an effective monopoly on national public-health information coordination and on operation of the official organ donation register.

Name

Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG)

Legal name

Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG)

Website

https://bioeg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BIÖG is a German federal public-health agency headquartered in Cologne, operating under the Federal Ministry of Health. It coordinates national prevention campaigns, operates the official digital organ donation register, runs multilingual health-information portals and hotlines, and conducts public-health research for the German population.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln (Cologne)

HQ country

Germany

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. Federal Government Funding: As a German federal agency in the业务bereich (operational area) of the Federal Ministry of Health (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit), the BIÖG is funded through the federal public budget. It does not generate commercial revenue. Information materials are provided free of charge to citizens.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BIÖG is Germany's federal public health institute, providing national health education, disease prevention campaigns, and population-level public health services. It operates digital and telephone information services on topics including vaccination, organ donation, addiction, HIV/AIDS, and sexual health, and runs the national Organ Donation Register. All services are delivered free of charge through its own digital channels, partner organizations, and telephone hotlines.

Product overview

BIÖG (Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit) is a German federal institute under the Federal Ministry of Health that serves as a comprehensive public health information and coordination platform. Formerly known as BZgA (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung), the organization operates as a multi-channel health information service with a portfolio comprising: (1) the main BIÖG website as the core information platform covering 16+ health topics including HIV/STI prevention, addiction, organ donation, and disease prevention; (2) digital services including the Organspende-Register (organ donation register) and online ordering systems; (3) telephone hotlines (Infotelefone) for personalized health counseling; (4) newsletter and media ordering services; (5) public health campaigns such as 'Be Smart – Don't Start' youth non-smoking competition, 'Null Alkohol - Voll Power', 'Alkohol? Kenn dein Limit', and organ donation awareness; (6) research data center providing study data; and (7) press campaign materials for media partners. The ecosystem also includes thematic sub-sites and external campaign websites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organ Donation Register (Organspende-Register) Federal electronic register operated by BIÖG allowing German residents to formally document their organ donation decision as a national public service.
• Information Hotlines (Infotelefone) Free public telephone information hotlines operated by BIÖG providing confidential advice on addiction and substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, vaccination, and migration-related health topics to the German public.
• National Public Health Prevention Campaigns Long-running national communication and education campaigns covering smoking prevention, alcohol, HIV/AIDS, vaccination, organ donation, and adolescent health, including named programs such as 'Be Smart – Don't Start', 'Null Alkohol – Voll Power', and 'Alkohol? Kenn dein Limit'.
• Online Media Shop / Brochure Distribution Online ordering platform allowing the public, healthcare providers, schools, and partner organizations to request free brochures, posters, and educational materials from BIÖG.
• BIÖG Email Newsletter Free email newsletter service in German and English providing regular updates on BIÖG publications, campaigns, and health topics to subscribers across Germany.
• Organspendeausweis (Organ Donor Card) Physical wallet-sized organ donor card distributed free of charge by BIÖG, allowing German residents to document their organ donation consent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 school classes participated in the 'Be Smart – Don't Start' non-smoking competition in school year 2025/26.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PVS DVG Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPVS DVG handles the physical fulfillment and distribution of printed BIÖG media materials (brochures, fact sheets, posters) to citizens who order via the BIÖG's online shop. Located at Birkenmaarstraße 8, 53340 Meckenheim, Germany.
• RTL+ / GZSZ (Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBIÖG partnered with the German TV series GZSZ (aired on RTL+) for an organ donation awareness campaign. Actors Felix von Jascheroff and Lara Dandelion Seibert appear in campaign materials promoting the organ donation register.
• WHO – World Health Organization (WHO Collaborating Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BIÖG serves as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health, operating the corresponding secretariat. This is a flagship international partnership within its international relations mandate.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM): Dutch national institute for public health and the environment, conducting research and providing policy advice on health promotion and disease prevention. Comparable in combining health communication, prevention, and research functions under a single national body.
• Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM): German federal institute for drugs and medical devices under the same Federal Ministry of Health. Domestic peer institution with analogous federal agency structure, mandate, and reporting line, though focused on pharmaceutical/medical device regulation rather than public health education.
• Robert Koch Institute (RKI): Germany's federal agency for infectious disease surveillance and biomonitoring, operating under the same Federal Ministry of Health. Most direct domestic peer: both are federal public health authorities, though RKI focuses on disease control and epidemiological research while BIÖG focuses on health education and prevention.
• Folkhälsomyndigheten (Swedish Public Health Agency): Sweden's national authority for public health, working on health promotion, disease prevention, and health-related behavior monitoring. Directly comparable mandate to BIÖG including youth-focused prevention campaigns and national health information.
• Santé Publique France: France's national public health agency under the Ministry of Health, responsible for health surveillance, prevention, and health promotion. Closely comparable scope to BIÖG across citizen-facing prevention campaigns, health information, and national coordination.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): EU agency strengthening Europe's defenses against infectious disease. Comparable as a public health authority operating above the national level, though focused on surveillance rather than the citizen-facing prevention campaigns that define BIÖG.

Broad incumbents

• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UK's executive agency for health protection and infectious disease, successor to Public Health England. Comparable as a national public health body under government remit, though UKHSA is more focused on health security than citizen health education.
• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized agency for international public health, of which BIÖG is a Collaborating Centre for Sexual and Reproductive Health. Comparable at the strategic level on global health promotion, prevention frameworks, and cross-border knowledge transfer, but operates at a fundamentally different scale and remit.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The U.S. federal public health agency combining disease surveillance, health promotion, and prevention. Comparable as the closest international equivalent in scale and mandate, though CDC's portfolio spans both BIÖG's health education remit and RKI's disease control remit.

Regional players

• Bundesamt für Gesundheit (BAG): Swiss Federal Office of Public Health responsible for national health policy, prevention, and health information. Comparable scope to BIÖG in a neighboring country context; serves as the closest non-EU direct national peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bioeg_de
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdbDIUyaDXemK4pfV6fqdcQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/bioeg.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bioeg
• Instagraminstagram.com/bundesinstitut_gesundheit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bundesinstitut für Öffentliche Gesundheit (BIÖG)