Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V.

What Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. does

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. is a registered non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2009 and headquartered at Karolingerring 31 in Cologne. It functions as a regional healthcare network and convening body, bringing together over 130 member organizations across the Cologne-Bonn metropolitan region — including hospitals, universities, insurers, life sciences and digital health companies, professional associations, chambers, municipalities, and districts. The organization's value proposition centers on cross-sector coordination, joint projects, and event programming targeted at fragmentation in the regional healthcare economy, which it characterizes as the third-largest industry in Cologne with approximately 2,200 companies, ~9 billion EUR in annual revenue, and 86,000 employees.

The association operates a portfolio of digital platforms and research initiatives in addition to its core networking services. The most prominent platform is the Health Navigator Cologne (health-navigator.cologne), co-developed with KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung, BioCologne, BioCampus Cologne, RTZ Köln, and the Gateway Hochschulen Köln startup network, which serves as a digital gateway to the regional healthcare ecosystem. Additional digital initiatives include the ALFie platform for guideline-compliant early Alzheimer's detection (launched May 2025), the COPETEC HealthHub for corporate health promotion, and the ActIv-KV research project on physical activity promotion led by Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln and funded by the Innovationsausschuss of the G-BA. Internationally, the organization executes HEARTSAFE 2.0 (Interreg North-West Europe, launched February 2026) through its wholly owned subsidiary HRCB Projekt GmbH, partnering with the Dutch Heart Foundation, KU Leuven, Björn Steiger Stiftung, Royal Philips, STAN Global, and Croi Heart & Stroke Charity.

The business model is structured around recurring membership fees from the 130+ member organizations, supplemented by project-based public and EU funding (Interreg NWE, G-BA), event sponsorships, and in-kind co-funding from institutional partners. The association is led by a four-person executive board — Prof. Dr. Henning Adamek (Chairman, Klinikum Leverkusen), Prof. Dr. Nadine Scholten (Deputy Chair, Universität Bonn/Uniklinik Bonn), Prof. Dr. Dieter Welsink (Managing Board Member, Rheinische Hochschule Köln / medicoreha), and Jochen Jungbluth (Treasurer, axis RECHTSANWÄLTE) — supported by a Geschäftsstelle of approximately seven staff led by Martina Thelen. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with flagship recurring formats including the KölnBonner Woche für Seelische Gesundheit (now in its 8th edition), the Digital Health Meetup Cologne (10th edition), the BGF-Kongress, the BESTes Altern Fachtagung, Demenz Meet Köln, and the Aktionswoche Gesunde Unternehmen.

Name

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V.

Legal name

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V.

Website

https://health-region.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. is a non-profit healthcare network association founded in 2009 that convenes 130+ organizations across the Cologne-Bonn region, coordinating cross-sector projects, events, and digital platforms for hospitals, universities, insurers, startups, and public bodies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Network Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Governance, Interagency Coordination & Partnerships (HLAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Access & Social Care Innovations (Community Health, Telehealth for Underserved) (BPAGALAG), Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH)

Keywords

• Healthcare network association
• Regional health cluster
• Healthcare industry networking
• Health economy coordination
• Medical sector collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The organization operates as a registered association (e.V.) with membership as its primary revenue stream. Companies, institutions, associations, and public bodies join as members to gain access to networking, project collaboration, and regional healthcare ecosystem participation. The website features a dedicated 'Mitglied werden' (Become a Member) section, indicating structured membership enrollment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. operates as a regional healthcare network association (eingetragener Verein) that brings together over 130 players from the healthcare economy in the Cologne-Bonn region — including companies, hospitals, research institutions, professional associations, chambers, cities, and districts. Its core offering is membership-based access to cross-sector networking, project collaboration, regional events (such as the KölnBonner Woche für Seelische Gesundheit and Digital Health Meetups), co-developed digital platforms (Health Navigator Cologne), and research project coordination (HEARTSAFE 2.0, ALFie, ActIv-KV).

Product overview

Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. is a network association that brings together over 130 players from the healthcare industry in the Cologne/Bonn region. The organization offers a portfolio of digital platforms and services including the Health Navigator Cologne (a digital hub for the healthcare economy), the COPETEC HealthHub (digital corporate health management platform), and ALFie (digital platform for early Alzheimer's detection). Additionally, the association coordinates research projects such as ActIv-KV (physical activity promotion), organizes networking events like the Digital Health Meetups and the KölnBonner Woche für Seelische Gesundheit, and facilitates member collaboration through its online Mitglieder-Lounge and various working groups focused on topics like healthy companies, mental health, and care innovation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Network Membership (Mitgliedschaft) Annual membership providing organizations with access to the regional healthcare network, cross-sector project collaboration, event participation, and ecosystem visibility.
• Health Navigator Cologne A digital platform serving as a central hub for the healthcare economy at the Cologne location, providing a systematic overview of industry segments, actors, laboratory spaces, funding programs, startup services, networks, and events.
• ALFie – Alzheimer-Leitliniengerechte Früherkennung Digital care platform for guideline-compliant early diagnosis and cross-sector care for people with cognitive complaints, targeting general practitioners, specialist physicians, counseling centers, and patients and relatives.
• ActIv-KV Research Project A research project that uses an anonymized online questionnaire to identify barriers to physical activity and develop targeted interventions for a more active everyday life.
• KölnBonner Woche für Seelische Gesundheit Action week for mental health destigmatization across the Cologne-Bonn region featuring events, workshops, and public engagement on psychological health topics.
• Digital Health Meetup Cologne Networking event series for digital health experts, startups, and stakeholders in the Cologne-Bonn region to foster digital health innovation and collaboration.
• Aktionswoche Gesunde Unternehmen (Healthy Companies Action Week) Annual action week with multiple events focused on promoting occupational health management and corporate health in the region.
• HEARTSAFE 2.0 Project Interreg North-West Europe project coordinated with the Dutch Heart Foundation, KU Leuven, Björn Steiger Stiftung, Royal Philips, and others to improve out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival through first-responder networks, digital platforms, and structured aftercare.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 130 member organizations actively participating in regional healthcare network activities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Dutch Heart FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Lead partner in the HEARTSAFE 2.0 Interreg North-West Europe project. The Dutch Heart Foundation coordinates the consortium working to improve survival rates after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Northwest Europe through community first-responder structures, digital platform solutions, structured aftercare, and a common quality framework. Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn participates through its HRCB Projekt GmbH subsidiary.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Academic partner in the HEARTSAFE 2.0 Interreg NWE project, contributing research expertise to improve OHCA survival rates across Northwest Europe through digital platforms, first-responder networks, and quality frameworks.
• Björn Steiger StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026German partner in HEARTSAFE 2.0 focused on improving emergency response infrastructure for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Germany, complementing the project's cross-border Northwest European approach.
• Royal PhilipscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Technology partner in HEARTSAFE 2.0 providing expertise in medical technology and health solutions for the cardiac emergency response ecosystem being developed across Northwest Europe.
• STAN GlobalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Project partner in HEARTSAFE 2.0 contributing to the international consortium's work on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest response and survival improvement across Northwest Europe.
• Croi Heart & Stroke CharitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Irish heart and stroke charity participating in HEARTSAFE 2.0, bringing expertise in cardiac aftercare and community health programs to the Northwest European consortium.
• ALFie — Alzheimer-Leitliniengerechte Früherkennung in der Stadt KölncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2025ALFie is a digital care platform for early Alzheimer's detection launched at the Gesundheitskongress des Westens on May 14, 2025. It enables guideline-compliant early diagnosis and cross-sector care for people with cognitive complaints, targeting general practitioners, specialist physicians, counseling centers, and patients and relatives. Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn supports and promotes this initiative as part of its dementia care portfolio.
• KölnBusiness WirtschaftsförderungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKölnBusiness is a key strategic partner in developing and operating the Health Navigator Cologne digital platform, which serves as the central digital gateway for the healthcare economy at the Cologne location. KölnBusiness and Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn co-developed this platform alongside BioCologne, BioCampus Cologne, RTZ Köln, and the Gateway Hochschulen Köln network.
• BioCologne e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioCologne is the central network in the leading Bioregion Cologne and a co-developer of the Health Navigator Cologne platform. It promotes technology transfer, startup formation, and networking between companies, research institutions, investors, banks, advisors, and technology parks.
• BioCampus Cologne & RTZ KölncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioCampus Cologne and the Rechtsrheinisches Technologie- und Gründerzentrum Köln (RTZ Köln) — technology and startup centers housing over 70 knowledge-based companies — are co-developers of the Health Navigator Cologne platform, providing physical infrastructure and startup ecosystem integration.
• Gateway Hochschulen KölncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Gateway Hochschulen Köln startup network — comprising the Gateway Exzellenz Start-up Center of the University of Cologne, TH Köln, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Rheinische Hochschule Köln, and CBS International Business School — is a co-developer of the Health Navigator Cologne platform, providing academic startup support and research-to-market linkages.
• DIGITALHUB BonnmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDIGITALHUB Bonn co-initiated the Digital Health Meetup Bonn together with Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn, the City of Bonn's economic development office (Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung), and IHK Bonn/Rhein-Sieg. This is a new networking format for digital health experts, startups, and stakeholders in the Bonn region.
• IHK Bonn/Rhein-SiegmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Chamber of Industry and Commerce Bonn/Rhein-Sieg is a co-initiator of the Digital Health Meetup Bonn, providing industry reach and member engagement for the digital health networking format in the Bonn region.
• Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung der Stadt BonnmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City of Bonn's economic development office is a co-initiator of the Digital Health Meetup Bonn, providing public-sector support and regional visibility for the digital health ecosystem in Bonn.
• Kämpgen StiftungmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kämpgen Stiftung supports the KölnBonner Woche für Seelische Gesundheit (Mental Health Week), one of the organization's flagship initiatives for destigmatization and public education about mental health. The foundation provides project funding and co-branding for this bi-annual action week.
• Hochschule KoblenzmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Applied Sciences Koblenz (with campuses including Remagen/RheinAhrCampus) is a member of Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn and a strategic partner for dual study programs in Health and Social Management, joint events (Remagener Campus Gespräche), and research collaboration. The organization presented the TeReS (teres.care) platform through this partnership.
• Deutsche Sporthochschule KölncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe German Sport University Cologne (dshs-koeln.de) leads the ActIv-KV research project on promoting physical activity, funded by the Innovationsausschuss des Gemeinsamen Bundesausschusses (G-BA). The project uses an anonymized online questionnaire to identify barriers to physical activity and develop targeted interventions. Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn promotes participation in the project.
• Universität KoblenzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Koblenz is a co-research partner with the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln in the ActIv-KV project investigating physical activity promotion, contributing to the interdisciplinary research consortium.
• Transfer e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer e.V. coordinates the international PST4Youth (Place Standard Tool for Youth) project, a participatory tool helping young people explore how their environment affects well-being and participate in local decision-making. The organization promotes participation in PST4Youth training events through its network.
• HRCB Projekt GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRCB Projekt GmbH is the operational project vehicle of Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V., handling the implementation of consortium-based projects such as HEARTSAFE 2.0. The company appears alongside the association in its branding (Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V. – HRCB Projekt GmbH) at Karolingerring 31, Cologne.
• KölnBusiness — Health & Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartin Kretschmer, Innovationsmanager für Health & Life Sciences at KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung, leads the Health Navigator Cologne initiative and collaborates with Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn on the annual SUMMERBird networking event (held at padelBOX Köln Lövenich in 2025), positioning KölnBusiness as a key partner in member engagement and health industry promotion.
• Siemens Smart InfrastructuremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSiemens Smart Infrastructure co-hosted a February 2026 event on sustainability in hospitals with Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn, focusing on energy efficiency, decarbonization, and cost savings in hospital operations. The event brought together sustainability managers, energy managers, technicians, and administrative directors from regional hospitals.
• AOK Rheinland/HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOK Rheinland/Hamburg is a key member and co-organizer of the BGF-Kongress (Occupational Health Management Congress) in Siegburg and provides the venue (AOK-Haus Siegburg) for multiple events. Jessica Lammerich, Regional Director of AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, serves as a board member (Beisitzerin) of the association.
• Fachvereinigung Krankenhaustechnik e.V. (FKT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFKT, the professional association for hospital engineering, contributed expert input on funding opportunities and bureaucracy challenges for hospital energy efficiency projects at the Siemens-co-hosted February 2026 event. President Horst Träger presented on the 'Förderdschungel Deutschland' (funding jungle Germany) for hospital transformation.
• Krankenhausgesellschaft Nordrhein-Westfalen e. V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLucia Donath from the North Rhine-Westphalia Hospital Association (KGNW) provided expert input at the February 2026 sustainability in hospitals event, discussing energy efficiency as a success strategy for hospitals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• BioLAGO e.V. Cross-border life science network in the Lake Constance / Vierländerregion (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein). Comparable as a member-driven regional cluster organization, with a stronger cross-border focus.
• medways e.V. Thuringian medical technology and healthcare industry association. Operates a comparable member-network model in a different German region, with overlapping topics (digital health, medtech) but no direct geographic overlap with KölnBonn.

Direct peers

• BioRiver – Life Science im Rheinland e.V. Life science cluster association for the Düsseldorf/NRW region. Operates a comparable member-driven model promoting biotech, medtech, and pharma networking, with overlapping NRW footprint and similar member types (companies, research, public bodies).
• Medical Valley EMN e.V. Leading national cluster for medical technology in the Erlangen-Nürnberg metropolitan region, designated as a national 'go-cluster'. Comparable as a member-based regional healthcare network organizing events, projects, and cross-sector collaboration around medtech and digital health.
• BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH: Munich-based biotech cluster management organization coordinating the Bavarian biotech and pharma ecosystem. Comparable operating model (cluster management, project coordination, member services) and similar focus on startups, scale-ups, and established players.
• BioPark Regensburg GmbH: Regensburg-based biotech and healthcare innovation campus and cluster organization. Comparable in combining a physical infrastructure / campus role with network and project coordination for regional healthcare and life science companies.
• Life Science Nord Management GmbH: Cluster management organization for the northern German life science region (Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony). Comparable in operating model, member-base composition, and focus on pharma, biotech, and medtech cross-sector collaboration.
• BioCologne e.V. Cologne-based life science network association that co-developed the Health Navigator Cologne platform with Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn. Both organizations convene regional life science and healthcare stakeholders, making them the closest direct peer in geography and mission.

Broad incumbents

• Europäische Metropolregion München e.V. Larger cross-sector metropolitan region association that bundles healthcare and life science stakeholders among broader economic themes. Comparable as a regional networking and project platform but with a much broader mandate than Gesundheitsregion.
• KölnBusiness Wirtschaftsförderung GmbH: Cologne's regional economic development agency and strategic partner of Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn on Health Navigator Cologne. Overlaps as a broader economic-development body hosting and resourcing the healthcare cluster activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gesundheitsregionkolnbonne2445
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gesundheitsregion-k%C3%B6lnbonn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn e.V.