Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow

What Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow does

Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow is a non-profit German research and education institution specializing in the reproduction of agricultural livestock, particularly cattle and pigs. Originally founded in 1958 in the DDR as VEB Kombinat IBF Schönow (with the country's only blood-group laboratory for cattle and pigs), the institute was re-established in 1993 as IFN Schönow e.V. (eingetragener Verein) following German reunification. It operates from a campus in Bernau OT Schönow, Brandenburg, supported by modernized laboratory and training facilities developed through EFRE-funded construction projects in 2011 and 2018. Its recognized national role as Germany's reference institute for spermatology in cattle and pigs, its ISO 9001:2008 quality management certification since 2009, and over 60 years of accumulated research give the organization a distinctive position in a narrow agricultural-research niche.

The institute's portfolio spans four service pillars delivered primarily through direct engagement with the agricultural sector: (i) accredited education and continuing-training programs for farmers, students and veterinarians across the DACH region; (ii) on-site consulting in reproduction, animal welfare, animal health and production technologies; (iii) laboratory services covering spermatology and (via the 2009 spin-off IFN Gendiagnostik GmbH) genetic diagnostics; and (iv) partially mobile slaughtering units for cattle and pigs, developed together with MeatBringer GmbH and Thermo King Berlin. The 2022 launch of the ReproFit App added a software touchpoint for reproduction management, and the January 2026 merger with ILU e.V. (Institut für Lebensmittel- und Umweltforschung) extends the mandate into food and environmental research, creating a combined Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research. The commercial arm IFN Schönow GmbH (established 2014) holds the training, consulting and reference-laboratory businesses, while membership dues from breeding organizations, universities and government bodies provide association-level support.

Name

Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow

Legal name

IFN Schönow e.V.

Website

https://ifn-schoenow.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow is a German non-profit research and training institute serving farmers, veterinarians and students in DACH with reproduction, spermatology, genetic-diagnostics, and mobile-slaughtering services for cattle and pigs. (38 words)

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research and Education Services

NAICS

All Other Animal Production (11299), Veterinary Services (54194), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloning & Advanced Reproductive Technologies Services (AFAEAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock Showing, Training & Performance Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAM), Forage & Feed Testing Services (Silage, Hay, Pasture) (AFACAKAM), Food Safety & Veterinary Public Health (Meat/Milk Inspection) (HLAMAJAJ)

Keywords

• Livestock reproduction research
• Animal breeding education
• Spermatology laboratory services
• Agricultural training programs
• Mobile slaughtering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bernau OT Schönow

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational and Training Services: Revenue from specialized courses, training programs, and continuing education for farmers, students, and veterinarians in reproduction and livestock management.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: Fee-based consulting services for livestock operations covering reproduction, animal welfare, animal health, and production techniques, delivered by team of veterinarians, agricultural scientists, and IT experts.
3. Laboratory Services: Spermatology reference laboratory services and genetic diagnostics (via IFN Gendiagnostik GmbH spin-off), with annual accreditation renewal since 2009.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow is a non-profit research and education institution specializing in the reproduction of agricultural livestock, particularly cattle and pigs. It delivers professional training and continuing education programs, on-farm consulting in reproduction, animal welfare, and animal health, accredited laboratory services (spermatology reference analysis and genetic diagnostics), and innovative semi-mobile slaughtering units for stress-free on-farm slaughter. The institute serves livestock farmers, veterinarians, students, breeding associations, and research partners across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Product overview

IFN Schönow e.V. is a non-profit research and education institution specializing in reproduction of agricultural livestock, particularly cattle and pigs. The organization offers a portfolio of services including the ReproFit mobile application for reproduction management, professional training and continuing education programs, consulting services for reproduction and animal welfare, and laboratory services including spermatology reference analysis and genetic diagnostics. The institute also provides partially mobile slaughtering units for on-farm slaughtering. Since 2026, IFN Schönow has merged with ILU e.V. (Institute for Food and Environmental Research) to form a combined institute for sustainable agricultural research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ReproFit App Mobile application for managing reproduction data and health tracking of agricultural livestock, enabling farmers to monitor and record reproduction metrics.
• Aus- und Fortbildung (Training and Continuing Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• Established reference institute status for spermatology in cattle and pigs nationwide

Named customers3 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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered member, research partner, academic partner, government partner, spin-off company, flagship, network partner, project partner and technology provider.

• Bayern-Genetik GmbHmemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Agricultural genetics and breeding company.
• Masterrind GmbHmemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Major cattle breeding organization.
• BHZP GmbH – Bundes Hybrid Zucht ProgrammmemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Federal hybrid breeding program for livestock.
• FBN – Leibniz-Institut für Nutztierbiologieresearch partnerOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, providing research collaboration.
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlinacademic partnerOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Gartenbauwissenschaften provides academic collaboration.
• Institut für Biochemie und Biologie der Universität Potsdamacademic partnerOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. AG Ökoethologie research partnership.
• LELF – Landesamt für Ländliche Entwicklung, Landwirtschaft und Flurneuordnunggovernment partnerOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Brandenburg state authority for agricultural development.
• RinderAllianz GmbHmemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Cattle breeding alliance organization.
• PIC – Pig Improvement CompanymemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Global pig genetics company.
• SMUL – Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Landwirtschaftgovernment partnerOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Saxon State Ministry for Environment and Agriculture.
• SUISAG – AG für Dienstleistungen in der SchweineproduktionmemberOthersMember of IFN Schönow e.V. association. Swiss service provider for pig production.
• IFN Schönow GmbHspin-off companyOthersSpin-off company established in 2014, incorporating the training department, consulting services, and spermatological reference laboratory. Together with IFN Schönow e.V. represents the Competence Center IFN Schönow.
• ILU e.V. – Institut für Lebensmittel- und UmweltforschungflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrom January 2026, operating jointly as Institut für nachhaltige Agrarforschung (Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Research) covering reproduction, animal husbandry, food, and environment. Located in Bad Belzig. Bilingual entity combining expertise across the entire agricultural value chain.
• ZUSE-Gemeinschaftnetwork partnerOthersMember of ZUSE-Gemeinschaft, a network of中小型企业 related to agricultural research and transfer.
• MLEUV Brandenburgproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg. Project partner for mobile slaughtering initiatives (ZifoG project).
• MeatBringer GmbHproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in development of modified mobile slaughtering unit based on Mercedes Sprinter. Mobile slaughter service provider operating in Wildau.
• Thermo King Berlintechnology providerTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for cooling systems in mobile slaughtering unit development.
• IFN Gendiagnostik GmbHspin-off companyOthersSpin-off established in 2009 for qualified genetic diagnostic services with accreditation renewed annually since founding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Agroscope: Swiss federal agricultural research institute covering livestock, plant production, and food. A direct DACH-region counterpart with overlapping mandates in animal husbandry, reproduction research, and applied agricultural science.
• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food and environment. Comparable as a large European public agricultural research organization with dedicated livestock reproduction, genetics, and breeding programs.
• Wageningen Livestock Research: Netherlands animal science research unit within Wageningen University & Research. Comparable applied livestock reproduction and breeding research function serving a leading European dairy and pig production base.
• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU): Austria's primary agricultural and life sciences university. Comparable as a DACH-region institution delivering research, training, and extension services in livestock sciences, including reproduction and animal husbandry.

Broad incumbents

• Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI): Germany's federal research institute for animal health, covering livestock diseases, welfare, and breeding-relevant health topics. Comparable as a publicly funded German animal research institution, though broader in scope than IFN's reproduction focus.
• IMV Technologies: France-based global supplier of animal reproduction technologies and equipment. Comparable as a European specialist in livestock artificial insemination and reproduction management infrastructure.
• Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL): Bavarian state institute for agriculture. Comparable German regional public agricultural research and extension body, overlapping with IFN on livestock production, breeding, and farmer training across a major German cattle region.

Direct peers

• Minitube: German-headquartered global supplier of reproductive biotechnology for livestock (semen analysis, AI equipment, embryo transfer). Directly comparable as a Germany-based specialist firm serving cattle and pig reproduction professionals.
• CRV: Dutch/Flemish cattle genetics cooperative offering breeding values, AI services, and herd management tools. Comparable as a cattle-focused organization combining genetic diagnostics, reproduction services, and farmer-facing data tools.
• FBN Leibniz-Institut für Nutztierbiologie: Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology in Dummerstorf, Germany. Conducts research on farm animal biology, reproduction, and genetics—directly comparable as a German public research institute focused on livestock reproduction and breeding science, and an existing IFN Schönow member.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifn-kompetenzzentrum-sch%C3%B6now

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kompetenzzentrum IFN Schönow