Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH)

What Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) does

The Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) is a joint academic platform established in 2021 by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Makerere University in Uganda, formalizing 25 years of prior collaboration between the two institutions. Operating as a non-commercial knowledge platform, CESH delivers tools, resources, and leadership programs for students, researchers, policy makers, and healthcare professionals — primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa — through structured programs including MIDWIZE (maternal health leadership), MISH (innovation in public-sector health), SDGCap (capacity building in fragile states), and the Tools for Action toolkit covering information & digitalisation, data visualization, research-to-action, innovation, and multisectoral collaboration. The centre's go-to-market is community-led, relying on Global Conversations webinars, blog content, newsletters, and academic partnership channels rather than commercial sales.

The underlying business is grant-funded rather than transaction-based: CESH draws institutional funding from Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University, with project grants from the Wellcome Trust (most notably the multi-year Win-Win in the Wetlands for Climate Resilience project, November 2025–October 2029), the Swedish Research Council (sustaining a 20-year stroke rehabilitation collaboration), and Sida. Programs and tools are delivered at no direct cost to participants, and the platform functions as a convening and capacity-building hub rather than a productized service. Revenue and ARR are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH)

Legal name

Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health

Website

https://cesh.health

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) is a joint Karolinska Institutet–Makerere University academic platform providing leadership programs, research tools, and capacity-building on sustainable health for students, researchers, policy makers, and healthcare professionals across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research and Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAANAO

Sustainability, Energy & Environmental (ESG/LEED) Certifications

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Certification Programs

SECONDARYEDAAALAE

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Sustainable health research
• Capacity development programs
• Maternal health training
• Global health education
• Public sector innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: CESH operates as a joint initiative between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University, funded through institutional partnerships, research grants, and development funding from organisations such as the Swedish Research Council and Wellcome Trust.
2. Project-based Grants: The centre receives funding for specific projects such as the Win-Win in the Wetlands for Climate Resilience project funded by Wellcome Trust, and the SDGCap project funded by Sida for sustainable development in fragile settings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CESH is a joint academic center between Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) and Makerere University (Uganda) that delivers capacity development programs, leadership training, and applied research in sustainable health. Its core offerings include the MIDWIZE midwife-led quality improvement program, the MISH public-sector innovation leadership program, the SDGCap capacity-building project for fragile states, a Tools for Action toolkit, and the Global Conversations webinar series. Programs and tools are provided free of charge to participants and are funded through institutional research grants.

Product overview

CESH (Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health) is a joint initiative between Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Makerere University in Uganda, established in 2021. The organization operates as a platform offering multiple interconnected programs and tools for sustainable health. The core portfolio includes: MIDWIZE, a maternal health leadership program; MISH (Managing Innovation for Sustainable Health), a public sector innovation leadership program; SDGCap for capacity building in fragile states; the Tools for Action toolkit with practical resources; Global Conversations on Sustainable Health webinar series; and GlobeLife seminars. These offerings are designed to work together to strengthen capacity, foster innovation, and transform education and research in sustainable health across Sub-Saharan Africa and globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MIDWIZE (Maternal Health Leadership and Innovation Program) Leadership and innovation program designed to enhance implementation of evidence-based midwife-led improvements in maternal and child health care across Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda.
• MISH (Managing Innovation for Sustainable Health) Leadership training program for professionals promoting innovation and renewal within the public sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, focused on sustainable health transformation.
• SDGCap (Building Capacity for Sustainable Development in Fragile States) Capacity development project focused on fostering sustainable development in fragile states through health and well-being initiatives, implemented in DRC, Somalia, and Uganda with Sida funding.
• Tools for Action Collection of practical methods, tips, and guidance for accelerating action towards sustainable health, including tools for stakeholder mapping, data visualization, multisectoral collaboration, research-to-action, information and digitalisation, and innovation and technology.
• Global Conversations on Sustainable Health Recurring interactive webinar series for sharing and exchanging creative solutions towards achieving sustainable health, featuring prominent speakers and targeting participants across academia, civil society, public authorities, and NGOs.
• GlobeLife Seminars Collaborative seminars between Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University focused on global health research and training to strengthen progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Wetlands for Climate Resilience (Win-Win Project) Flagship research initiative assessing multi-dimensional impacts of wetland restoration and co-designing evidence-based interventions for sustainable wetland conservation in Uganda, funded by Wellcome Trust from November 2025 to October 2029.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero maternal or neonatal deaths during MIDWIZE intervention period in Kenya facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Karolinska InstitutetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution of CESH, established in 2021. Karolinska Institutet is a leading medical university in Sweden that contributes expertise in global health research, education, and innovation. The partnership builds on 25 years of collaboration with Makerere University.
• Makerere UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding institution of CESH, established in 2021. Makerere University in Uganda is a premier academic institution in East Africa. The partnership builds on 25 years of collaboration with Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
• TinkrminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial innovation company partnered with CESH to conduct international and multisectoral projects together.
• University of Nairobi, Kenya - School of Nursing SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa participating in MIDWIZE program for maternal health improvements and other sustainable health initiatives.
• University of Gondar, Ethiopia - Department of MidwiferymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner participating in MIDWIZE leadership and innovation program with 28 new participants enrolled in the fifth cohort starting September 2024.
• University of Malawi - Nursing, Midwifery and Health Science Research CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa involved in sustainable health research and education collaboration.
• Benadir University, SomaliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner involved in SDGCap project for sustainable development in fragile states, hosting innovation hub and workshops.
• University of Kinshasa School of Public Health, DRCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in SDGCap project for sustainable development in fragile settings, launching national forums for SDGs and conducting multisectoral workshops.
• Linnaeus UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Planetary Health workshop, part of Knowledge Environment Sustainable Health network, contributing speakers and research expertise.
• Ministry of Water and Environment UgandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey implementing partner in Win-Win Wetlands project, working on wetland restoration and climate resilience initiatives.
• Ministry of Health UgandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in Win-Win Wetlands project, contributing to health-related aspects of environmental conservation.
• National Environment Management Authority UgandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey implementing partner in Win-Win Wetlands project for evidence-based national policy development on wetland conservation.
• Kampala Capital City AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey implementing partner in Win-Win Wetlands project, focusing on urban wetland conservation in Kampala.
• Tree Adoption UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Win-Win Wetlands project contributing to tree planting and environmental restoration efforts.
• Stroke Association of UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in 20-year stroke rehabilitation research collaboration, representing stroke survivors and families in research dissemination.
• Stroke Foundation UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in stroke rehabilitation research and dissemination activities.
• AMBSOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner presenting HALT stroke research on prevalence of stroke in urban and rural areas at research dissemination conference.
• Sustainable Health in Partnership (SHIP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with SHIP uniting perspectives from five Swedish universities - Karolinska Institutet's CESH, SLU Future One Health, Umeå Transformation Research Initiative, Uppsala University's Centre for Health and Sustainability, and Örebro University's Platform for a Sustainable Future.
• SIHI SwedenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub in global Social Innovation in Health Initiative network, hosted by Uppsala University in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet.
• Université Catholique de LouvainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leader of Cluster of Research Excellence for Preparedness and Response to Pandemics and Shocks with Makerere University.
• Swedish Embassy UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents Swedish government interest in Uganda-Sweden health collaboration, officially opened research dissemination conference.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Planetary Health Alliance: Global consortium dedicated to understanding and addressing the human health impacts of environmental change; directly comparable to CESH's sustainable-health framing and multi-stakeholder convening role across academia, policy, and civil society.
• Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal): Academic research centre focused on global and environmental health with multi-country programme delivery; comparable to CESH in mission to translate research into policy and capacity-building, though operating at significantly larger scale from a high-income-country base.
• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC): Africa-based research and policy organisation generating evidence on population health and development; comparable to CESH in delivering policy-relevant research, capacity building, and multi-country programming from a Sub-Saharan African base.
• Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH): Network of academic institutions collaborating on global-health research, education, and advocacy; comparable to CESH's convening function and capacity-development programmes across higher-education partners.

Regional players

• BRAC University James P Grant School of Public Health: South-Asia-based school of public health delivering professional training and field research with a low- and middle-income country focus; structurally similar to CESH in combining capacity development, applied research, and field implementation.
• Amref Health Africa: Africa-based health development organisation delivering workforce training, programme implementation, and policy advocacy across multiple African countries; comparable to CESH in pan-African health capacity-building footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH): European research and teaching institute with longstanding partnerships in Sub-Saharan Africa covering infectious disease, NCDs, and health systems; comparable to CESH in its university-linked, multi-country capacity-development model.
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): Large, established global-health research and teaching institution with multi-country programmes including Sub-Saharan Africa; overlaps with CESH in maternal health, NCDs, and climate-and-health research but operates at vastly larger scale.
• UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN): Global network of universities, research institutions, and other partners mobilising scientific and technological expertise for the SDGs; overlaps with CESH's sustainable-development capacity-building mission at significantly broader scope.

Emerging players

• University of Global Health Equity (UGHE): New health-sciences university in Rwanda focused on equity-focused education and research delivery in low-resource settings; comparable to CESH in mission orientation and African geographic focus, though earlier in its development trajectory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CeshCentre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ceshcentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/Midwize.health
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cesh-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH)