Stiftung "International Breast Cancer Study Group IBCSG"

What Stiftung "International Breast Cancer Study Group IBCSG" does

ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation (legal name: Stiftung "International Breast Cancer Study Group IBCSG") is a Swiss non-profit research foundation headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, with a 6-person coordinating center. Founded in 1978 as the International Breast Cancer Study Group and rebranded in 2019 after merging with the European Thoracic Oncology Platform, it operates an international clinical trials and translational research portfolio focused on breast cancer (with an expanding thoracic oncology arm). Its core activities are the design, coordination, and analysis of large randomized Phase III trials — including the landmark SOFT, TEXT, POSITIVE, and SOLE studies — executed through a network spanning approximately 49 countries and 59+ collaborative groups, primarily through Breast International Group (BIG), Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, and SAKK. The foundation supplements its trial programs with a central Biobank, a Translational Research Program, the Program for Young Patients (PYP), and the Pink Ladies patient-advocacy initiative.

The foundation's underlying technology stack is purpose-built for academic clinical research: centralized trial design and randomization infrastructure (operated in partnership with Frontier Science & Technology Research Foundation), rigorous statistical and data management capability directed from its Statistical and Data Management Center, a biobank of biological samples from trial participants, and integrated quality-of-life and patient-reported outcomes methodology. Trial outputs (e.g., 5,700+ patients enrolled in SOFT/TEXT, 12+ year follow-up, 518 patients across 20 countries in POSITIVE) generate the long-term outcome datasets that drive peer-reviewed publications in NEJM, JCO, and Annals of Oncology.

The foundation does not sell products or services and has no commercial pricing model. Its funding base is diversified across institutional research grants (BCRF, NCI, Swiss Cancer League, Dutch Cancer Society, Rising Tide, Gateway for Cancer Research, Baillet Latour Fund, San Salvatore Foundation, Swiss Cancer Foundation), pharmaceutical sponsors (Pfizer, Novartis, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Roche Diagnostics, GSK, J&J, Regeneron, BeOne), and individual/corporate donations channeled through Pink Ribbon Switzerland and similar fundraising events. Scientific outputs are disseminated through publications, major oncology conferences (ASCO, ESMO, SABCS), annual meetings, residential workshops, and webinars. Its "customers" are trial participants and the broader breast cancer patient community; its economic stakeholders are donors, grant-making bodies, and pharma partners.

Name

Stiftung "International Breast Cancer Study Group IBCSG"

Legal name

ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation

Website

https://ibcsg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Swiss non-profit foundation headquartered in Bern, operating an international Phase III clinical trials and translational research portfolio in breast and thoracic cancer across approximately 49 countries, funded by research grants, pharma sponsors, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Cancer Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE), Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Clinical trial research
• Breast cancer studies
• Translational research
• Biobank operations
• Patient advocacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation relies primarily on donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and charitable events (such as Pink Ribbon Golf Tour, Pink Ribbon Christmas Gala) to fund clinical research activities
2. Research Grants: Funding from cancer research foundations, government agencies, and international cancer organizations to support specific clinical trials and research programs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation is a non-profit foundation that designs, coordinates, and conducts international Phase III randomized clinical trials for breast and lung cancer, including adjuvant endocrine therapy, ovarian suppression, targeted therapies, and fertility-preservation studies. It operates a central Biobank for biological sample management, runs a Translational Research Program combining clinical, molecular, and pathological findings, and supports patient advocacy (Pink Ladies, Program for Young Patients) and educational initiatives (Residential Workshops, Live Webinars).

Product overview

ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation operates a unified portfolio of clinical and translational research programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of international Phase III clinical trials focused on breast cancer (IBCSG trials including POSITIVE, SOFT, TEXT, SOLE) and lung cancer (ETOP trials including Lungscape, Mesoscape), supplemented by translational research infrastructure (Biobank), patient support programs (Program for Young Patients, Pink Ladies advocacy), and educational initiatives (Residential Workshops, Live Webinars). The trials investigate endocrine therapies, targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and treatment interruption for fertility. All programs operate through a centralized coordinating center in Bern, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pink Ladies: A support group for young women with breast cancer, part of ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation's Program for Young Patients (PYP).
• POSITIVE Trial

Products and services

• International Clinical Trials Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.9% recurrence rate in women who paused endocrine therapy vs 9.2% in control group (short-term, median 41 months follow-up)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• Alliance for Clinical Trials in OncologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth American partner for the POSITIVE trial and other international studies. The Alliance conducts clinical trials across the US and Canada as part of the National Clinical Trials Network.
• Breast International Group (BIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBCSG partners with BIG, an international not-for-profit organisation for academic breast cancer research groups from around the world. BIG constitutes a network of 59+ collaborative groups from Europe, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Australasia.
• Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss cooperative oncology group collaborating on clinical trials including POSITIVE trial with Swiss press releases and local support.
• Pink Ribbon SwitzerlandkeyGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Pink Ribbon Golf Tour and Christmas Gala events raising funds for IBCSG research. CHF 50,000 raised in 2021, CHF 60,000 in 2025, CHF 100,000 in Gala 2025.
• Frontier Science & Technology Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides statistical and data management expertise for clinical trial operations.
• Anna dai Capelli CortisupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerYoung patient group from Southern Switzerland providing collaboration and financial support for POSITIVE study awareness video.
• Lungscape (Translational Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETOP translational research project focused on lung cancer molecular profiling and biomarker development.
• Mesoscape (Translational Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETOP translational research project for mesothelioma molecular characterization.
• Lungscope (Translational Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETOP project focused on liquid biopsy and circulating tumor DNA in lung cancer.
• Smallscope (Translational Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETOP project focused on small cell lung cancer research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Breast International Group (BIG): International not-for-profit network of academic breast cancer research groups; already an IBCSG partner. BIG operates as a coordinating network for cross-group trials and is directly comparable in mission, governance (non-profit) and global trial portfolio.
• Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRUK-CTU): UK-based academic trials unit coordinating cancer clinical trials including breast cancer studies. Comparable academic non-profit model with national funding plus international pharma partnerships.
• SOLTI: Spanish academic breast cancer research group conducting Phase II/III trials with translational components. Comparable disease focus and academic non-profit operating model; smaller geographic scope than IBCSG.
• German Breast Group (GBG): European academic breast cancer research group running multi-center trials (notably in neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy). Directly comparable in disease focus, academic non-profit model and operational footprint in Europe.
• NRG Oncology: US-based NCI-sponsored clinical trial cooperative group covering breast and other cancers. Directly comparable as an academic research organization running national/international Phase III trials with similar sponsor mix (NCI, foundations, pharma).
• ETOP (European Thoracic Oncology Platform): Academic thoracic oncology research organization now operating jointly with IBCSG under ETOP IBCSG Partners Foundation. Comparable in running international Phase II/III lung cancer trials with translational components.
• Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO): Global academic research organization designing and conducting oncology clinical trials with embedded translational science. Closely comparable to IBCSG in global trial design, biomarker-driven research and academic non-profit model.
• Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK): Swiss cooperative oncology group already partnered with IBCSG. Directly comparable as a national academic research organization running investigator-initiated trials; operates from the same Swiss ecosystem.
• Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology: US/Canada NCI-funded clinical trials network covering multiple tumor types; current IBCSG partner for POSITIVE. Comparable in running large multi-site Phase III trials under academic governance with mixed NCI/pharma/foundation funding.
• GEICAM (Spanish Breast Cancer Group): Spanish cooperative group running independent and pharma-sponsored breast cancer trials with a translational research program. Directly comparable as an academic breast cancer-focused non-profit with established clinical trial pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etop_ibcsg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-international-breast-cancer-study-group-ibcsg-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stiftung "International Breast Cancer Study Group IBCSG"