European MD/PhD Association

What European MD/PhD Association does

The European MD/PhD Association (EMPA) is a non-profit association founded in May 2015 in Groningen, the Netherlands, that connects, represents, and supports physician-scientist trainees across Europe. The organization serves medical and healthcare students and graduates (MD, PharmD, dentistry) pursuing or interested in combined MD/PhD training, with a member-funded model reliant on annual subscription fees of €30, donations, and conference-related revenue. Core offerings include an annual European MD/PhD Conference rotating across European cities (14 editions since 2012, drawing attendees from 18+ countries by 2024), membership subscriptions providing voting rights in the General Assembly and conference discounts, recurring seasonal newsletters, career and "PhD Coffee" webinars, a mapping resource of European MD/PhD programs, a Notable MD/PhDs registry, and a research support initiative publishing on MD/PhD education.

EMPA operates through a WordPress-based website platform (eumdphd.com), email newsletters distributed via Mailchimp, and active social media channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the rotating annual conference is the primary engagement mechanism, supplemented by digital content and a representative network of national coordinators. Governance is provided by a volunteer Executive Board elected by the General Assembly; the 2025–2026 board is led by President Antonia Felzen. EMPA is a founding member of the International Consortium of Clinician Scientist Trainee Organizations (ICCSTO), extending its reach through reciprocal membership with partner organizations in France (AMPS), Switzerland (SMPA), the United States (APSA), Canada (CITAC), and Asia (AMSA).

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. With approximately 8 staff and a volunteer leadership structure, EMPA is operationally a small member association rather than a venture-backed entity. Its mission — connecting and representing physician-scientist trainees across Europe — drives all programmatic activity, with policy advocacy and program-mapping positioned as secondary value-adds alongside the core conference-and-membership offering.

Name

European MD/PhD Association

Legal name

European MD/PhD Association

Website

https://eumdphd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EMPA is a non-profit association founded in 2015 in Groningen, Netherlands, that connects, represents, and supports European MD/PhD candidates and clinician-scientist trainees through an annual rotating conference, €30 membership, newsletters, webinars, and program-mapping resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscription fee of 30 euros provides full EMPA membership including newsletter subscription, conference discounts, access to seminars and social events, and voting rights in the General Assembly and Representative/Executive Boards.
2. Donations: EMPA accepts donations to further goals of increasing availability and success of MD/PhD programs across Europe.
3. Conference Revenue: Conference attendance fees and sponsorship revenue from annual European MD/PhD conferences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EMPA is a non-profit membership association that connects and represents healthcare students and graduates pursuing combined MD/PhD training across Europe. It offers annual membership, hosts a yearly European MD/PhD Conference rotating across European cities, runs career and PhD coffee webinars, and publishes periodic newsletters and research resources for physician-scientist trainees.

Product overview

EMPA (European MD/PhD Association) is a non-profit membership organization founded in May 2015 in the Netherlands. Rather than a software platform, EMPA offers a suite of services supporting European physician-scientist students and graduates. The core offerings include an annual European MD/PhD Conference (now in its 13th edition), annual membership providing access to newsletters, conference discounts, and voting rights, webinars featuring career guidance from academic professionals, periodic newsletters, a mapping resource for European MD/PhD programs, research support initiatives, and a registry of notable MD/PhDs. These services work together to advance the organization's mission of connecting, representing, and supporting MD/PhD candidates across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMPA Annual Conference Annual European MD/PhD Conference bringing together physician-scientist candidates from across Europe for scientific exchange, poster sessions, oral presentations, and networking.
• EMPA Membership Annual membership subscription costing 30 euros providing access to the EMPA Newsletter, discounts for annual conferences, seminars and social events, and voting rights in the General Assembly and Executive Board elections.
• EMPA Webinars Online educational events including Career Webinars featuring academic professionals and PhD Coffee Webinars with panels of MD/PhDs and postdoctoral researchers sharing career insights and experiences.
• EMPA Newsletters Periodic electronic newsletters (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall editions) providing updates on association activities, member achievements, conference announcements, and publications from MD/PhD candidates.
• Mapping European MD-PhD Programs Interactive resource providing information about MD/PhD training opportunities across European countries and universities to help prospective candidates identify suitable programs.
• EMPA Research Support Research initiative supporting MD-PhD education-related projects, including published studies on MD/PhD education in Europe and open calls for collaborative research projects.
• Notable MD-PhDs Registry Showcase of prominent physician-scientists including Nobel Prize winners and notable researchers who have completed MD/PhD pathways to inspire and demonstrate career possibilities.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Consortium of Clinician Scientist Trainee Organizations (ICCSTO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019ICCSTO is a joint venture by regional clinician scientist trainee organizations from France (AMPS), United States (APSA), Canada (CITAC), Switzerland (SMPA), Europe (EMPA), and Asia (AMSA). The consortium supports and advocates for future clinician-scientists, enriching members' training and career development, facilitating international scientific collaboration, and fostering a strong connection in the global clinician-scientist community. Through the consortium, members enjoy benefits of membership in all partner organizations including access to research opportunities, webinars with field leaders, and discounted conference access.
• Swiss MD/PhD Association (SMPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss national MD/PhD organization that co-organizes annual conferences with EMPA, including the joint 2017 Basel conference focused on 'Ageing'. SMPA is also a founding member of ICCSTO.
• Association Médecine Pharmacie Science (AMPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national MD/PhD organization. AMPS hosted the inaugural ICCSTO meeting in Paris and co-organizes conferences with EMPA. Part of ICCSTO consortium.
• American Physician Scientists Association (APSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based physician scientist trainee organization and founding member of ICCSTO. Partners with EMPA to provide cross-Atlantic networking and collaboration opportunities for members.
• Clinician Investigator Trainees Association of Canada (CITAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian clinician scientist trainee organization and ICCSTO member. Provides North American perspective and collaboration opportunities within the global consortium.
• Asian Medical Students Association (AMSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian medical students organization and ICCSTO member. Expands the global clinician-scientist network to the Asia-Pacific region.
• ISCOMSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational student organization. EMPA maintains a partnership with ISCOMS as evidenced by their logo appearing on the EMPA website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Asian Medical Students' Association (AMSA): Asia-Pacific medical student network and ICCSTO partner. Comparable in serving a trainee constituency in a different geography, with similar conference and exchange programming aimed at medical students.

Broad incumbents

• European Medical Students' Association (EMSA): Pan-European federation for all medical students. Comparable in geographic scope and student-led governance, but serves a much broader constituency than EMPA's MD/PhD trainee niche.
• Royal Society of Medicine: Established UK-based medical professional society offering membership, conferences, and educational programming. Operates at a different scale and broader medical remit, but is comparable as a membership-driven medical education provider.
• International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA): Global federation of medical student organizations. Operates at a much larger scale and broader scope than EMPA, but its conferences and exchanges address overlapping needs of the same student demographic.

Emerging players

• International Student Congress of (bio)Medical Sciences (ISCOMS): International student-run biomedical congress held annually in Groningen. Overlaps with EMPA's student audience and university base, and is a formal GTM partner; differs in being a single conference rather than a year-round membership body.

Direct peers

• American Physician Scientists Association (APSA): U.S. national association for physician-scientist trainees and a fellow ICCSTO consortium member. Directly comparable to EMPA in mission, governance (student-led board), and event-driven programming (annual meeting, regional events, awards).
• Clinician Investigator Trainees Association of Canada (CITAC): Canadian clinician-scientist trainee association and ICCSTO member. Closely analogous organization serving the same niche in a different country, with parallel annual conference and trainee advocacy activities.
• Swiss MD/PhD Association (SMPA): Swiss national MD/PhD trainee association and ICCSTO founding member. Directly comparable, with joint conference history (e.g., 2017 Basel) and the same physician-scientist development mission at a national level.
• Association Médecine Pharmacie Science (AMPS): French national MD/PhD trainee association and ICCSTO founding member. Comparable to EMPA in serving the same trainee population within a single country, co-organizing conferences, and providing a national network node that EMPA complements.

Others

• Wellcome Trust Research Networks: Major biomedical research funder that supports clinician-scientist training programs and convenes trainee networks in Europe. Not a peer organization but a relevant ecosystem participant and potential sponsor for EMPA's mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eumdphd
• Facebookfacebook.com/eumdphd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-md-phd-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/eumdphd?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European MD/PhD Association