Institut lázeňství a balneologie

What Institut lázeňství a balneologie does

Institut lázeňství a balneologie, v.v.i. (ILaB) is a public research institution (veřejná výzkumná instituce) established in 2019 by the Karlovarský kraj (Karlovy Vary Region) and headquartered in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. It is the only public research institution systematically dedicated to balneology in the country, filling a gap left after the 1993 dissolution of the predecessor Balneological Research Institute. The institute conducts interdisciplinary research across medical, environmental, and socioeconomic sciences focused on the objective evaluation of spa treatments and natural healing resources (mineral waters, therapeutic gases, peloids), serving spa facilities, healthcare institutions, public administration bodies, academic partners (ČVUT, ZČU, AV ČR), and commercial companies in the healthcare and wellness sector.

The institute's offerings span four interconnected pillars: research infrastructure (Demonstration Laboratory at Alžbětiny lázně, European Spa & Longevity Living Lab, mineral water measurement facilities); expert services (expert assessments, measurements and analyses of natural healing resources and therapeutic environments, methodological recommendations); educational programs (accredited courses, e-learning via Moodle, university courses, the quarterly peer-reviewed journal "Lázeňství a balneologie" with ISSN registration, spa care manuals, and the "Prameny vědy" podcast); and innovation platforms (VR rehabilitation systems for post-surgical and post-oncological recovery, knowledge transfer activities). Technical differentiators include VR-based lower-limb tracking systems for orthopedic rehabilitation, comprehensive mineral water ecosystem mapping (MINEKOTUR), and the European open-innovation Living Lab platform connecting 17+ international partners.

The institute operates as a community-led public research institution with a hybrid revenue model. Core funding flows from the Karlovy Vary Region as the institutional founder, supplemented by EU operational programs (Operační Program Spravedlivá Transformace, Operační Program Technologie a Aplikace pro Konkurenceschopnost) and Ministry of Environment grants supporting multi-year projects (CLV flagship 2024-2027, XR 2025-2026, VR OnkoSpa 2026-2028, MINEKOTUR 2026-2028). Supplemental revenue derives from fee-based expert services, customized educational events, accredited training programs (500+ spa staff trained), and journal subscriptions. Distribution occurs through direct professional engagement, institutional partnerships, public procurement, and event-based dissemination rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

Institut lázeňství a balneologie

Legal name

Institut lázeňství a balneologie, v.v.i.

Website

https://i-lab.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Institut lázeňství a balneologie is a Czech public research institution in Karlovy Vary conducting interdisciplinary medical, environmental, and socioeconomic research on spa treatments and natural healing resources, serving spa operators, healthcare institutions, public administration, and academic partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spa and Balneology Research Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Spas (Medi-Spa) (HSADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spa & Body Treatment Training (Body Wraps/Scrubs/Hydrotherapy) (HSALANAI)

Keywords

• Balneology research
• Spa medicine
• Natural healing resources
• Rehabilitation technology
• Public research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlovy Vary

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: Primary funding from Karlovarský kraj (Karlovy Vary Region) as a public research institution, supplemented by European operational programs including Operační Program Spravedlivá Transformace (OPST), Operační Program Technologie a Aplikace pro Konkurenceschopnost (OP TAK), and Ministry of Environment programs.
2. Expert Services: Revenue from providing expert assessments, expert opinions, methodological recommendations, analyses, studies, peer reviews, expert consultations, and expert guarantee of projects for public administration, healthcare facilities, spa institutions, and private companies.
3. Publishing and Educational Services: Revenue from the quarterly journal 'Lázeňství a balneologie' published in print and online, educational events organization, and accredited courses.
4. Customized Educational Events: Fees for organizing professional conferences, seminars, workshops, round tables, and customized educational programs for healthcare professionals, spa facilities, public administration, professional organizations, and private companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Institut lázeňství a balneologie is a public research institution that conducts systematic research in balneology and spa care, objectively evaluates the effectiveness of spa treatments and natural healing resources. It delivers expert assessments, measurements and analyses, customized educational events, peer-reviewed publications, and operates innovation infrastructure including the Demonstration Laboratory and the European Spa & Longevity Living Lab. Its clients include spa facilities, healthcare institutions, public administration bodies, academic partners, and private companies.

Product overview

Institut lázeňství a balneologie operates as a unified public research institution offering an integrated portfolio of research services, publishing, educational programs, and innovation platforms. Its core offerings span peer-reviewed journal publishing (Časopis Lázeňství a balneologie), spa care manuals, demonstration laboratory facilities for testing VR and other innovative technologies, the European Spa & Longevity Living Lab open-innovation platform, expert services including assessments and measurements, customized educational events, e-learning courses in Moodle, university-level courses with ČVUT and ZČU, and the Prameny vědy podcast. The institute's services are interconnected — research outputs feed into publications, expert services, and educational offerings, while the Living Lab serves as the convergence platform for testing and validating innovations developed through its research activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Časopis Lázeňství a balneologie (Journal of Spa and Balneology)

Quantifiable outcome

• ESPA Innovation Award 2024 in Medical Spa Scientific Research category
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• VR Medical s.r.o.keyTechnology or Integration · 1 June 2026Partner in VR OnkoSpa project developing comprehensive VR therapeutic program for post-oncological breast cancer patients. Leading Czech developer of rehabilitation systems in virtual reality.
• Výzkumný ústav vodohospodářský T. G. Masaryka, v. v. i. (T.G. Masaryk Water Research Institute)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Partner in MINEKOTUR environmental research project. Collaboration on comprehensive mapping and monitoring of mineral water occurrences and natural gas seeps in the Karlovy Vary Region.
• XR Institute, s.r.o.keyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Partner in the XR project for validation of lower-limb tracking system in virtual reality. Collaboration on developing innovative technology for rehabilitation after joint replacement surgeries using VR/AR.
• ČVUT (Czech Technical University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in the flagship Spa Research Centre (CLV) project. Collaboration on interdisciplinary research combining medical, environmental, and socioeconomic sciences. Joint development of university courses including 'Physiotherapy in Spa Care'.
• ZČU (University of West Bohemia in Pilsen)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in the Spa Research Centre (CLV) project. Collaboration on educational programs including the study program 'Kinanthropology and Wellness Specialist' with Faculty of Education.
• AV ČR (Czech Academy of Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in the Spa Research Centre (CLV) project. Contributes to interdisciplinary research activities and knowledge transfer in balneology.
• European Spas Association (ESPA)coreOthersMember representing Czech spa industry in European association of national spa organizations from 20+ countries. Institute serves as official Czech representative. Awarded ESPA Innovation Award in 2022 and 2024.
• EHTTA (European Historic Thermal Towns Association)coreOthersAssociation of historic thermal towns of Europe, cultural route of the Council of Europe. Institute serves as Research Centre of Excellence for the association.
• Great Spa Towns of Europe (UNESCO World Heritage)keyOthersUNESCO World Heritage designation of European spa towns. Institute contributes research and expertise to support the cultural and scientific heritage of spa towns.
• HTI Conference (Health Tourism Industry)minorOthersInternational conference network for health tourism industry. Institute participates in conferences and shares research findings on spa medicine and health tourism.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• VR Medical s.r.o. Czech company developing VR-based rehabilitation systems and partner in the institute's VR OnkoSpa project. Comparable as an emerging player at the intersection of VR technology and clinical rehabilitation that overlaps with the institute's VR rehabilitation research mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Masaryk University: Second-largest Czech public university with significant medical and life-sciences research output and grant-management infrastructure. Comparable as a large regional Czech academic institution with overlapping health, environmental, and socioeconomic research themes and EU-grant execution capability.
• Czech Academy of Sciences (Akademie věd ČR): The Czech Republic's principal public research institution network, already a core partner on the institute's CLV project. Comparable as a broader Czech public research umbrella organization with overlapping interdisciplinary research and grant-management capacity.

Others

• European Spas Association (ESPA): Brussels-based association of national spa associations from 20+ European countries, of which the institute is the Czech member and an Innovation Award recipient. Comparable as the European-level ecosystem partner that defines the policy, recognition, and demand context for the institute's research and standards work.
• European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA): Council of Europe cultural route association of historic European thermal towns, of which the institute is the designated Research Centre of Excellence. Comparable as a pan-European network that channels heritage, research, and policy demand into the institute's research and expert-services mandate.

Direct peers

• Semmelweis University: Major Hungarian public medical university with research activity in hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, and spa medicine, and central to Budapest's thermal/spa research ecosystem. Comparable as a public medical research institution conducting clinical studies related to thermal healing.
• Aix-Marseille University: Large French public research university with established activity in thermal medicine and balneology research, particularly through its thermal cluster around Aix-en-Provence. Directly comparable to the institute as a public research entity generating peer-reviewed evidence on spa therapies.
• University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum): Major Italian public research university with documented activity in thermal medicine, rehabilitation, and health sciences relevant to Italy's spa sector. Comparable to the institute as a public-sector research body generating scientific evidence on spa and rehabilitation therapies.
• Hévízgyógyfürdő és Szent András Reumakórház (Saint Andrew Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Hévíz): Hungarian state spa hospital with an integrated research mandate in rheumatology and balneology; one of the most established European institutions combining spa therapy with clinical research, directly comparable to the institute's medical and environmental research on natural healing resources.
• University of Pécs, Medical School: Hungarian public university with established medical research and clinical work in thermal/balneology medicine, including research linked to the Hévíz thermal lake. Directly comparable as another public-sector European institution conducting scientific research on thermal healing resources and spa medicine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-lazenstvi-a-balneologie

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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