ECCO European Crohn' and Colitis Organisation

What ECCO European Crohn' and Colitis Organisation does

ECCO (European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation) is a non-profit professional medical association founded in 2006 and registered in Austria (Vienna) under the Austrian Register of Associations (ZVR 468755685). It serves the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical and research community — primarily gastroenterologists, IBD nurses, allied health professionals, early-career researchers, national IBD societies, and pharmaceutical industry partners — through evidence-based clinical guidelines (produced using GRADE methodology since 2006 and now in their third generation), consensus papers, topical reviews, and position statements that have become standard references for IBD management across Europe and globally.

ECCO operates an integrated digital ecosystem comprising the central ECCO Portal (single sign-on for membership, congress registration, abstract submission, and fellowship applications), the e-Learning platform (e-courses, podcasts, talking heads discussions, skills videos, webinars), the e-Guide (algorithm visualization of guidelines), the UR-CARE international IBD patient registry, the E-QUALITY real-world quality-of-care survey, the ECCO IBD mobile app, and the e-Library congress archive. Its scientific output is distributed through two journals: the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis (JCC) published by Oxford University Press and the newer Open Access JCC Plus published by Wiley. The annual ECCO Congress — the 21st edition held in Stockholm in February 2026 attracted 7,388 delegates from 99 countries, growing from 350 in 2006 — is complemented by 78 face-to-face Educational Workshops organized between 2007 and 2023 (3-4 within Europe and 1-2 outside Europe annually) and specialized communities for nurses (N-ECCO), young researchers (Y-ECCO), epidemiology (EpiCom), and microscopic colitis (MCWG).

ECCO's business model is a hybrid non-profit structure. Revenue is generated through Individual, Country, and Corporate membership fees (the latter under the Austrian Association Act of 2002), annual congress registration fees and industry-sponsored satellite symposia and exhibitions, unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical partners, and CME-accredited educational workshops that are free to paid members. Congress logistics, the e-Learning platform, and ECCO News magazine are executed through OCEAiN GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary (FN 372881f, Vienna) operating under a joint data controllership framework with ECCO. ECCO maintains strategic co-development partnerships with ESGAR (imaging), ESP (pathology), IBUS (bowel ultrasound), and UEG (gastroenterology), and technology partnerships with Conference Compass (mobile app), AWS (hosting), PAYONE (payments), and Rapidmail (newsletters).

Name

ECCO European Crohn' and Colitis Organisation

Legal name

European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation

Website

https://ecco-ibd.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ECCO is an Austria-based non-profit medical association founded in 2006 that develops clinical guidelines, education, and research programs for the European inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) community, serving gastroenterologists, IBD nurses, researchers, and 38 national IBD societies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual, Country, and Corporate membership fees provide recurring revenue. Corporate membership is per Austrian Association Act of 2002, with membership fees contributing to association goals without specific services or access.
2. Congress Registration & Sponsorship: The annual ECCO Congress generates revenue through delegate registrations and industry sponsorship/exhibition bookings. The congress is organized by OCEAiN GmbH (wholly-owned daughter company). Sponsorship packages support educational initiatives without sponsor access to attendees.
3. ECCO Educational Workshops: Face-to-face educational workshops held globally, free for ECCO Members, providing CME-accredited education on IBD management.
4. Industry Partnerships & Unrestricted Grants: ECCO accepts unrestricted grants from industry for support to e-Learning, e-Guide, and Fellowships & Grants portfolio. Corporate Members pay membership fees. Satellite symposia at congress are organized separately by sponsors with no ECCO content involvement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ECCO is a non-profit medical association that develops and disseminates evidence-based clinical guidelines, consensus papers, and topical reviews for the management of inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). It operates a full educational ecosystem — the e-Learning Platform, the e-Guide algorithm visualization tool, the UR-CARE international patient registry, the E-QUALITY quality-of-care survey, and two peer-reviewed journals (JCC and JCC Plus) — and runs the annual ECCO Congress and face-to-face Educational Workshops serving gastroenterologists, IBD nurses, allied health professionals, researchers, and patient associations.

Product overview

ECCO (European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation) is a medical professional organisation focused on inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Its product portfolio consists of a comprehensive digital ecosystem built around its core website (ecco-ibd.eu) and supplementary platforms. The primary offerings include: the ECCO e-Learning Platform for online education with e-Courses, podcasts, and skills videos; the ECCO e-Guide for visualising guidelines as algorithms; the ECCO e-Library for congress recordings; the ECCO IBD mobile App; and two journals (JCC and JCC Plus). These digital products are complemented by in-person activities including the annual ECCO Congress, face-to-face Educational Workshops, and webinars. ECCO also publishes Guidelines, Consensus Papers, and Topical Reviews, manages the UR-CARE international patient registry, conducts the E-QUALITY survey, and offers Fellowships & Grants for researchers. All platforms are integrated through the ECCO Portal which serves as a unified login and data management hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECCO e-Learning: Online educational platform offering e-courses, webinars, educational audio podcasts, talking heads discussions, and skills videos for IBD professionals
• ECCO e-Guide
• ECCO IBD App
• JCC Plus
• E-QUALITY
• UR-CARE

Products and services

• ECCO Congress Annual in-person scientific congress rotating across European cities, gathering healthcare professionals in IBD for scientific sessions, abstract presentations, industry satellite symposia, and networking. The 21st Congress was held in Stockholm (2026) with 7,388 delegates from 99 countries; the 22nd is scheduled for March 3-6, 2027 in Copenhagen.
• ECCO e-Learning Platform Online educational platform providing the IBD Curriculum for physicians and nurses, e-Courses, Educational Audio Podcasts, Talking Heads discussions, Skills Videos, and webinars. Accessible globally; free for healthcare professionals under 35 or in training.
• ECCO e-Guide Freely accessible online platform that visualizes the ECCO Guidelines as algorithms to facilitate clinical decision-making. Content is based on official ECCO Guidelines and complementary material such as SmPC approved by regulatory authorities.
• JCC (Journal of Crohn's and Colitis) Official peer-reviewed scientific journal of ECCO, published by Oxford University Press, publishing scientific research on inflammatory bowel diseases including guidelines, consensus papers, and original articles.
• JCC Plus Open access journal publishing on a broader view of IBD and its multidisciplinary care, reaching clinicians, researchers, nurses, and patient associations. Published by Wiley in partnership with ECCO.
• ECCO IBD App Mobile application providing information about ECCO initiatives, services, and the annual Congress. Includes chat, voting functions for congress delegates, and is available on Apple App Store and Google Play.
• UR-CARE (IBD Patient Registry) Online international registry capturing IBD patient records in an easy and comprehensive way, enabling cross-border research collaboration on inflammatory bowel diseases.
• ECCO Educational Workshops Face-to-face CME-accredited educational programmes organized by the ECCO Education Committee, held 3-4 times annually within Europe and 1-2 times outside Europe. 78 workshops organized from 2007-2023. Participation free for ECCO Members.
• ECCO Guidelines Standard reference clinical guidelines for IBD management in Europe and worldwide, freely accessible. ECCO uses GRADE methodology for major Guidelines on Therapeutics in CD and UC since 2018; organized in three generations (2012-2017, 2018-2022, 2023-2028).
• ECCO Consensus Papers Expert consensus publications covering topics related to diagnosis, classification, or management of inflammatory bowel diseases where evidence-based information is limited.
• ECCO Topical Reviews Expert reviews on IBD topics reserved for areas with limited evidence-based information, focusing on diagnosis, classification, or management and authorised by ECCO.
• ECCO Webinars Online educational sessions featuring top experts shaping the future of IBD management, delivered through the e-Learning Platform.
• ECCO e-Library Digital repository hosting ECCO Congress webcasts, presentations, slides, abstracts, and educational videos from past congresses.
• ECCO Fellowships, Grants & Awards Research funding programme supporting researchers through active collaboration to advance IBD research globally, including Fellowships, Grants, and Young Researcher Awards.
• ECCO Membership (Individual, Country, Corporate) Membership tiers providing access to Educational Workshops (free for members), e-Learning benefits, reduced congress registration, and voting/governance participation per the Austrian Association Act of 2002.
• E-QUALITY Survey Project surveying gaps between ECCO Quality Standards of Care and real-world clinical data in IBD management.
• ECCO CONFER Project focused on case proposal and similar case collection for IBD research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,388 delegates from 99 countries attended ECCO'26 Congress, demonstrating global reach and influence
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• OCEAiN GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCEAiN (Organisation, Congress, Emotion, Association, iNnovation) is the wholly-owned daughter company of ECCO responsible for organizing the annual ECCO Congress, managing the e-Learning platform, and publishing the ECCO News magazine. Based at the same address as ECCO (Ungargasse 6/13, Vienna), OCEAiN operates under a joint controllership agreement with ECCO for data processing (ECCO IT Hub), forming the organizational infrastructure supporting all ECCO activities.
• John Wiley & Sons, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationWiley serves as the publisher for JCC Plus (Journal of Crohn's and Colitis Plus), the Open Access journal managed by ECCO. Wiley handles manuscript submission, peer review, publication, and APC (Article Publication Charge) processing for the journal, which aims to reach a broad IBD community including clinicians, researchers, nurses, and patients.
• Oxford University Press (OUP)coreTechnology or IntegrationOxford University Press publishes the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis (JCC), ECCO's primary peer-reviewed scientific journal. OUP handles manuscript submission, peer review, and publication of ECCO Guidelines, Consensus Papers, Topical Reviews, and other official ECCO publications through academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc.
• ESGAR (European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCO partners with ESGAR for joint educational initiatives including Basic Imaging Workshops (e.g., ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound Workshop, ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop). The partnership combines radiology expertise with IBD clinical knowledge for comprehensive imaging education.
• ESP (European Society of Pathology)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCO collaborates with ESP on pathology-related educational content within the e-Learning platform, providing specialized pathology education for IBD diagnosis and management through the ESP Educational Platform integration.
• IBUS (International Bowel Ultrasound Group)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with IBUS for intestinal ultrasound education, integrated into the e-Learning platform. IBUS provides standardized training in bowel ultrasound for IBD monitoring and management.
• UEG (United European Gastroenterology)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCO partners with UEG on educational content and cross-promotion of gastroenterology events. ECCO e-Learning links to UEG's Gutflix platform, and ECCO leadership has cross-representation in UEG committees (e.g., Iago Rodríguez-Lago elected Chair Elect of UEG Education Committee).
• ECCO Country Members (38 National IBD Societies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCO's country membership structure includes 38 national gastroenterology and IBD societies representing their countries within ECCO. Country Members participate in the biennial Council of National Representatives Meeting and host Educational Workshops, creating a pan-European network for IBD care harmonization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN): European professional society for paediatric gastroenterology that issues paediatric IBD guidance, runs an annual congress, and publishes JPGN. Comparable structure (society, congress, guidelines, journal) and overlapping topic area (paediatric IBD), though with the narrower paediatric focus.
• American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): US-based professional gastroenterology association running an annual flagship meeting (DDW partner), publishing Gastroenterology, and issuing IBD-relevant clinical guidance. Directly comparable in mission (advancing GI science, education, and practice) and membership-driven funding model, though larger and broader than ECCO's IBD-specific scope.
• American College of Gastroenterology (ACG): US-based GI professional society that runs the Annual Scientific Meeting and publishes The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Comparable as a congress-and-publication-driven medical society serving gastroenterologists, with similar reliance on industry sponsorship and member dues.
• British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG): UK-based national society for gastroenterology that publishes Gut, runs an annual congress, and issues IBD clinical guidelines. Closest national-level peer to ECCO in structure, with similarly strong guideline authority in its home market and analogous educational/workshop programming.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselkrankheiten (DGVS): German national GI society issuing German-language and English IBD guidance, running the annual German Gastroenterology Congress (VSOU/DGVS), and operating continuing education. Same national-society archetype as ECCO but Germany-focused rather than pan-European.
• International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD): Global research-oriented IBD organization driving epidemiology and treatment consensus among senior IBD investigators. Highly comparable in IBD-specific scientific authority and international reach, though narrower in educational and congress programming than ECCO.
• Société Nationale Française de Gastro-Entérologie (SNFGE): French national GI society operating the JFHOD annual congress and publishing IBD-relevant guidance in French and English. Mirrors ECCO's national-society-plus-congress-plus-publication model in a single-country geographic footprint.
• Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (CCF): US-based non-profit organization for patients and clinicians dealing with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Peer because of shared IBD-focused mission and patient/clinician engagement model, though CCF's primary constituency is patients and fundraising rather than European clinician training and guidelines.
• United European Gastroenterology (UEG): Pan-European umbrella for national GI societies (ECCO is a member society of UEG). Operates UEG Week as the largest European GI congress, runs Gutflix online education, and cross-promotes ECCO content. Directly comparable on congress, education, and guideline activities but broader than ECCO's IBD-only focus.

Broad incumbents

• World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO): Global GI body with broader (entire specialty, all regions) remit than ECCO; publishes Global Guidelines and runs World Digestive Health Day. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same gastroenterology-education space that ECCO occupies IBD-specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecco-european-crohn'-and-colitis-organisation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ECCO European Crohn' and Colitis Organisation