European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
ECREA is a non-profit learned society (AISBL) founded in 2005 in Belgium that serves as the primary European forum for communication and media researchers, offering membership, biennial conferences, a book series, and doctoral training to several thousand members across 50+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersUccle, Brussels Region, Belgium
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) does
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is a non-profit learned society (legally registered as an AISBL under Belgian law) founded on 25 November 2005 in Amsterdam through the merger of the European Communication Association (ECA) and the European Consortium for Communications Research (ECCR). Headquartered in Charleroi, Belgium, with operations centered in Brussels, ECREA serves as the primary European forum for communication and media scholars across Europe and beyond, with several thousand individual and institutional members spanning more than 50 countries.
ECREA's core product is membership (individual and institutional), delivered alongside a portfolio of academic programs: the biennial European Communication Conference (ECC) attracting over 1,000 participants, an annual Doctoral Summer School for PhD students, the ECREA Book Series co-published with Palgrave Macmillan, the weekly ECREA Weekly Digest email service, and member-only Intranet access. The association organizes scholarly activity through Sections (by research specialty), Networks (by socio-demographic category), and Temporary Working Groups (by topical focus), allowing members to shape research agendas. Technically, ECREA operates a standard web platform for membership management, event registration, and content distribution, with no disclosed proprietary technology.
Revenue is generated entirely through annual subscription fees (individual membership €10-€99, institutional €190-€599, tiered by career stage and country income classification), biennial conference attendance fees (with member discounts), and Doctoral Summer School fees. ECREA is governed democratically by its members through a General Assembly (institutional members holding 5 votes, individuals 1 vote) and an elected Executive Board, with no private equity, venture capital, or external investor ownership. The association celebrated its 20th anniversary in November 2025, marking two decades of continuous operation.
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
- Legal name
- European Communication Research and Education Association AISBL
- Website
- https://ecrea.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ECREA is a non-profit learned society (AISBL) founded in 2005 in Belgium that serves as the primary European forum for communication and media researchers, offering membership, biennial conferences, a book series, and doctoral training to several thousand members across 50+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Uccle, Brussels Region
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Membership Fees: Annual subscription fees from individual members (regular, junior scholars, retired scholars) with tiered pricing based on career stage and country income classification. Each individual member carries one vote at the General Assembly.
- Institutional Membership Fees: Annual subscription fees from universities and research institutions, with tiered pricing based on country income classification. Institutional membership covers one coordinator, twelve individuals, and unlimited PhD students, bringing five votes at the General Assembly.
- Conference Fees: Revenue from European Communication Conference (ECC) attendance fees, with reduced rates for ECREA members.
- Doctoral Summer School Fees: Fees from participation in the annual ECREA Doctoral Summer School for PhD students.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Junior Scholar (Regular) |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Junior Scholar - Low Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Junior Scholar - Middle Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Regular Member |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Regular - Low Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Regular - Middle Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Retired Scholar |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Retired Scholar - Low Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional Regular Member |
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional Member - Middle Income Countries |
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional Member - Low Income Countries |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECREA operates a membership-based learned society for communication researchers and educators, offering individual and institutional memberships that grant access to thematic Sections/Networks/Temporary Working Groups, the biennial European Communication Conference, the annual Doctoral Summer School, the ECREA Book Series co-published with Palgrave Macmillan, the weekly ECREA Weekly Digest, and a member-only Intranet. Core revenue is generated through tiered annual membership subscriptions (€10–€599) and event participation fees, supplemented by donations supporting the Young Scholars Fund.
Product overview
ECREA is a learned society of communication scholars offering a unified membership-based platform. The core offering consists of individual and institutional membership, providing access to the ECREA Book Series (published with Palgrave), the ECREA Weekly Digest (weekly curated information service), the ECREA Doctoral Summer School (annual event for PhD students), and the biennial European Communication Conference (ECC). Members also have access to the ECREA Intranet and can participate in Sections, Networks, and Temporary Working Groups that organize academic activities and set research agendas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ECREA Membership (Individual and Institutional) Tiered annual subscription membership (€10–€599) for individual communication scholars, retired scholars, junior scholars/PhDs, and institutional members (universities, research institutes). Benefits include access to Sections/Networks/Temporary Working Groups, reduced conference fees, ECREA Weekly Digest, member-only Intranet, Doctoral Summer School access, ECREA Book Series, EDI grants, and conference/summer school grants.
- European Communication Conference (ECC) Biennial flagship conference bringing together communication scholars from across Europe and beyond, featuring panels organized by ECREA Sections and Networks. Reduced fees apply for ECREA members. Past ECCs have drawn over 1,000 participants from more than 50 countries.
- ECREA Doctoral Summer School
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 attendees from 50+ countries at major conferences
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Palgrave MacmillancoreECREA publishes books in the field of communication and media research in collaboration with Palgrave Macmillan. The ECREA Book Series prioritizes research by ECREA members. At least 50% of chapters and editors must originate from ECREA members. ECREA provides subsidies for publication costs and receives discounted copies for distribution.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Communication Association (NCA): NCA is the largest US-based professional communication association, operating annual conventions and numerous divisions and journals. While US-centric, it is a direct competitor for scholarly attention and offers a comparable learned-society structure to ECREA.
- European Sociological Association (ESA): ESA is a Europe-wide association for sociologists organizing bi-annual conferences, research networks, and publications. While its disciplinary focus is broader than ECREA's communication-specific mandate, it provides a parallel institutional model for European social-science scholarly membership.
Others
- Palgrave Macmillan: Palgrave Macmillan is ECREA's publishing partner for the ECREA Book Series, providing editorial, production, and distribution infrastructure. It is comparable not as a peer but as a critical ecosystem enabler whose commercial priorities directly shape ECREA's content offerings.
- ORCID: ORCID is a nonprofit infrastructure provider supplying persistent researcher identifiers widely adopted by European universities and learned societies. It is adjacent to ECREA as academic research infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, but increasingly complementary as ECREA members integrate ORCID into publication workflows.
Peers
- European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR): ECPR is a European academic association for political scientists that runs joint sessions, conferences, and a publishing program in a structurally similar manner to ECREA. It is comparable as a European learned society offering membership, conferences, and a book series for social-science researchers, though in political science rather than communication.
Direct peers
- European Media Management Association (emma): emma is a European academic association for media management and economics researchers, running conferences and a journal with a learned-society membership model. It is a more specialized peer, directly comparable to one of ECREA's thematic Sections.
- International Communication Association (ICA): ICA is a leading global academic association for communication research scholars, offering annual conferences, interest-group divisions, and a flagship journal. It is directly comparable to ECREA in mission, membership model, and conference activity, with broader US-centric but globally accessible reach.
- International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR): IAMCR is the principal global learned society for media and communication researchers, organizing an annual conference and thematic sections paralleling ECREA's role. It directly competes with ECREA for European communication scholars' membership and conference participation.
- European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI): EARLI is a European academic association for learning and instruction research, operating a similar conference, network, and membership structure targeting European educational researchers. It is comparable to ECREA in scale, governance, and member services despite its education-research focus.
- Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR): AoIR is an international academic association focused on internet and digital communication research, organizing annual conferences and publishing related scholarship. It overlaps with ECREA's thematic Sections (e.g., digital media, communication technology) and competes for the same scholarly audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) social profiles
Digital presenceEuropean Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
What does European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) do?
ECREA operates a membership-based learned society for communication researchers and educators, offering individual and institutional memberships that grant access to thematic Sections/Networks/Temporary Working Groups, the biennial European Communication Conference, the annual Doctoral Summer School, the ECREA Book Series co-published with Palgrave Macmillan, the weekly ECREA Weekly Digest, and a member-only Intranet. Core revenue is generated through tiered annual membership subscriptions (€10–€599) and event participation fees, supplemented by donations supporting the Young Scholars Fund.
Is European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) a public or private company?
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) founded?
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) based?
European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) is headquartered in Uccle, Brussels Region, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are institutional Membership Fees, conference Fees and doctoral Summer School Fees.
Who are European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Communication Association (NCA) and European Sociological Association (ESA). Others are Palgrave Macmillan and ORCID. European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) is listed as a peer. Direct peers are European Media Management Association (emma), International Communication Association (ICA), International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) and Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR).
Does European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) have an API?
No public API is recorded for European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA).