Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB)

What Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB) does

Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB) is a public-law professional corporation that acts as the mandatory regulatory body for nurses practicing in the province of Barcelona, Spain. Under Catalonia's Law 7/2006 and complementary health-profession legislation, any nurse whose principal professional domicile is in Barcelona — whether employed by public or private entities or self-employed — must hold COIB membership to legally practice. The organization maintains the official registry of nurses, ensures compliance with the Code of Ethics, advocates on working-conditions policy, and runs continuing-education and research-funding programs for its membership.

Its core offerings are organized around the registration function and member-services stack: compulsory col·legiaciò (registration), continuing education through exclusive agreements such as the SalusOne partnership (24 accredited courses for €99), an annual research-grants call (€65,000 budgeted for 2026), the Centre de Recursos d'Informació Infermera (CRII) with access to CINAHL Ultimate and CUIDEN databases, a job board, and seven specialty Vocalies plus multiple working groups covering clinical and organizational topics. The technology layer is a web-based member portal ("Àrea Personal") backed by CRM/membership-management software, supplemented by the Infermera Virtual public-information platform, digital publications on Issuu, and a podcast ("Constants Vitals") on the 3Cat platform.

The business model is dominated by mandatory recurring membership dues from a captive base of 40,000+ nurses, supplemented by fee-paying training programs (accredited courses, micro-credentials such as the UAB intrauterine-contraception micro-credential, and sport-nursing Master's co-developed with Barça Innovation Hub and UVic-UCC), sponsorship income, and member-benefit partnerships (financial services, banking, digital-health scholarships). COIB distributes content and recruits engagement through organic social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube), Telegram, WhatsApp, RSS and an events-and-conferences program. It operates a single headquarters at Carrer Pujades, 350 in Barcelona with 77 staff, and is affiliated to the regional Consei de Col·legis d'Infermeres i Infermers de Catalunya (CCIIC) and the national Consejo General de Enfermería (CGE).

Name

Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB)

Legal name

Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona

Website

https://coib.cat

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

COIB is the mandatory public-law professional college for nurses practicing in Barcelona province under Catalonia's Law 7/2006, providing registration, continuing education, research grants, advocacy and member services to 40,000+ nurse members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nursing & Allied Health Certification Prep (CNA, EMT/Paramedic, Radiology, Sonography, PT/OT) (EDANAIAB)

Keywords

• Nursing professional association
• Professional licensing services
• Continuing nursing education
• Healthcare membership
• Nursing regulatory body

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: Mandatory annual membership fees for all practicing nurses in Barcelona province as regulated by Law 7/2006. The college also offers value-added services including training courses, professional certifications, and member benefits programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

COIB is the official professional college for nurses in Barcelona province, providing mandatory professional registration and licensing under Law 7/2006. It delivers continuing education programs, research grants, specialty working groups, professional advocacy, ethical guidance, and member benefits services to all practicing nurses in its territory. The college functions as a public law corporation regulating the nursing profession and representing nurses at regional and national levels.

Product overview

COIB operates as a professional association for nurses in Barcelona, providing a comprehensive suite of services including professional registration and membership management, continuing education through partnerships like SalusOne, research support with annual grants (€65,000 in 2026), and specialized professional groups (Vocalies) covering 7 nursing specialties. The organization offers a digital ecosystem featuring the Club COIB Gold premium membership, nursing resource center (CRII) with database access, virtual nursing resources, publications including Revista Infermeres, and communication channels including WhatsApp and the Constants Vitals podcast. Additional services include international cooperation programs, working groups on clinical specialties, transparency portal, job board, and heritage preservation initiatives like Preservem la Memòria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Col·legiació (Professional Registration)
• Formació Contínua (Continuing Education) Continuing education programs for nurses including accredited courses. Through an exclusive agreement with SalusOne, members access 24 accredited courses for €99. Covers professional development and competency requirements for practicing nurses.
• Àrea de Recerca (Research Area) Research support services including annual research grants (€65,000 in 2026), subsidies for conference attendance, article translation and publication support, and thesis/project resources for nurses conducting nursing research.
• Centre de Recursos d'Informació Infermera (CRII) Nursing information resource center providing bibliographic resources, access to databases including CINAHL Ultimate and CUIDEN, literature search services, and specialized collections for nursing research and evidence-based practice.
• Club COIB Gold Premium membership benefit service offering exclusive discounts, special offers, and enhanced value-added services for COIB members through partner agreements.
• Borsa de Treball (Job Board) Employment placement service connecting nursing professionals with job opportunities in the healthcare sector.
• Infermera Virtual (Virtual Nurse) Virtual nursing resource platform providing health information and guidance to citizens, and professional resources to COIB members.
• Revista Infermeres Professional nursing journal published by COIB, providing clinical updates, professional news, and evidence-based content for the nursing community.
• Àrea de Cooperació Internacional (International Cooperation) International cooperation programs supporting nurses in volunteering and development projects abroad, with training and coordination resources for international humanitarian nursing work.
• Podcast Constants Vitals Podcast giving voice to nurses, produced in partnership with 3Cat platform, covering nursing and healthcare topics.
• Portal de Transparència (Transparency Portal) Transparency portal providing public access to organizational information, financial data, human resources, contracting procedures, and activity reports of COIB.
• Preservem la Memòria Initiative dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and collective memory of the nursing profession, hosted at preservemlamemoria.coib.cat.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,400+ new nurses registered in 2025

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• SalusOnecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Exclusive agreement providing COIB members access to 24 accredited courses for €99. Partnership offers comprehensive continuing education program and professional resources for members.
• Barça Innovation HubflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of Master's in Sports Nursing program with COIB and UVic-UCC. Second edition launched for 2026-27 academic year.
• Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for Master's in Sports Nursing program. Collaborates with COIB and Barça Innovation Hub for sports nursing education.
• 3CatcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for podcast 'Constants Vitals' providing voice to nurses and healthcare topics. Platform for multimedia content distribution.
• EFPA Espanya (European Financial Planning Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial wellness partnership offering education and services to members. Joint activities including 'Salut Financera' (Financial Health) sessions.
• Caixa EnginyersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBanking partnership offering personalized financial services and products for nurses as COIB members.
• Fundació Infermeria i SocietatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation related to nursing for activities, courses, events, awards and projects. Partnership for member benefits and professional development.
• AEEQ (Associació Espanyola d'Esterilització i Qualitat)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration agreement for professional development and quality standards in healthcare.
• FATEC (Fundació Assistencial de Terrassa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for CPR training courses and emergency response education.
• Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for micro-credential in 'Capacitació en contracepció intrauterina' (intrauterine contraception training).
• La Salle-URLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering 50% scholarships for digital health specialization programs.
• Diputació de BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on mental health awareness materials, suicide prevention programs (Program Retorn), and public health initiatives.
• Ajuntament de BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for elderly care and caregiver support programs. Alliance for public health initiatives.
• Colegio de Enfermería de CádizminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint state-wide digital health project to reinforce nursing competencies.
• Consejo General de Enfermería (CGE)coreOthersNational professional nursing organization. COIB participates in national nursing policy, CGE elections, and represents nurses at national level.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Nurses Association (CNA): Canada's national nursing body, with certification programs, continuing education, and policy advocacy. Comparable role and service mix, at a national rather than provincial scale.
• Royal College of Nursing (RCN): UK's largest professional body for nursing, with mandatory membership elements and a broad portfolio of training, research grants, advocacy, and publications. A broader incumbent in the same professional-college category as COIB.
• American Nurses Association (ANA): US national professional association for nurses offering credentialing (ANCC), continuing education, advocacy, and publications. Larger, broader-scope peer covering the same professional-association functions COIB performs locally.
• Consejo General de Colegios Oficiales de Médicos de España (CGCOM): National umbrella for Spanish medical colleges, structurally analogous to CGE for nurses. Comparable in mandate (mandatory registration, deontological oversight, advocacy), providing a benchmark for what a nationalized nursing federation could evolve into.

Direct peers

• Consejo General de Enfermería (CGE): National umbrella body for Spanish nursing. COIB itself reports a 'We to Them' relationship with CGE, participating in its plenary and elections, making it the closest direct institutional peer for advocacy, training, and representation of Spanish nurses.
• Col·legi Oficial de Metges de Barcelona (COMB): Official medical college of Barcelona, a sibling professional corporation with a similar mandatory-membership structure, continuing education programs, research support, and member services for physicians in the same Barcelona territory.
• Consell de Col·legis d'Infermeres i Infermers de Catalunya (CCIIC): Catalan federation of provincial nursing colleges of which COIB is a member. Operates at the regional level to coordinate the provincial colleges (Lluïsa Garcia serves as its Dean), making it a direct institutional peer in advocacy and coordination.
• Colegio Oficial de Enfermería de Madrid (CODEM): Provincial nursing college serving Madrid, the largest regional nursing constituency in Spain. Directly comparable as a regional mandatory-membership professional college providing continuing education, advocacy, and member services.

Emerging players

• SalusOne: Online continuing-education platform for nurses with which COIB holds an exclusive agreement providing 24 accredited courses for €99. A specialized training partner and a partial substitute, demonstrating the private-sector model COIB must compete with for member training spend.

Regional players

• Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Girona: Catalan provincial nursing college operating in the same autonomous community as COIB, under the same Catalan regulatory environment. Comparable mandate and member-facing services, but limited to Girona province.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COIBarcelona
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCofrsjYQwcTLwLrXWXf1xRg
• Facebookfacebook.com/COIBarcelona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coibarcelona
• Instagraminstagram.com/infermeresbcn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Col·legi Oficial d'Infermeres i Infermers de Barcelona (COIB)