ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health

What ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health does

ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health (Instituto de Saúde Baseada na Evidência) is a private, independent non-profit association founded in September 2019 and headquartered at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon in Lisbon, Portugal. It operates as an umbrella organization bridging academia, individual researchers, and partner associations (including ANF, APIFARMA, APHP, MedicineOne, and patient organization Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo) together with institutional associates FMUL and FFUL, dedicated to generating, synthesizing, disseminating, and translating scientific knowledge in health.

The institute delivers a portfolio of approximately 15 research and consulting services built on evidence synthesis methodologies: systematic reviews, meta-analyses, real-world evidence generation from big-data databases, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), health technology assessment (HTA) using QALYs and ICER frameworks, qualitative studies including Delphi panels, discrete choice experiments, value-based healthcare implementation, medical writing, translations, data quality assessment, and statistical support. It also runs educational programs (medical writing, systematic review, and qualitative research courses) and is the host organization for Cochrane Portugal, which launched in January 2020 with associated centers at Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra medical schools. Six formal research areas cover epidemiology and real-world evidence, AI in health, health outcomes and services research, public health policy, HTA, and knowledge translation. The product surface includes the USFarmácia® collaborative care model for hypertension and hyperlipidemia management in Portuguese pharmacies.

Revenue is generated through commissioned research projects, consulting engagements for healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and government bodies, fees from educational short courses and annual events, and recurring contributions from partner and institutional associates. The institute distributes services through the University of Lisbon partnership and its partner association network, with annual events (seven consecutive editions from 2020 to 2025) and targeted workshops serving as the primary engagement and visibility mechanism.

Name

ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health

Legal name

Instituto de Saúde Baseada na Evidência

Website

https://isbe.research.ulisboa.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health is a Lisbon-based non-profit research institute founded in 2019 that delivers evidence synthesis, health technology assessment, real-world evidence, and HEOR consulting to Portuguese healthcare providers, regulators, pharmaceutical companies, and academic partners, while hosting Cochrane Portugal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Evidence-Based Health Research and Consulting

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Evidence-based health research
• Systematic reviews meta-analysis
• Health technology assessment
• Health economics outcomes research
• Real-world evidence generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisbon

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and Consulting Services: ISBE generates revenue through commissioned research projects, consulting services in health economics and outcomes research, systematic reviews, and health technology assessments for healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and government bodies.
2. Educational Programs and Training: Revenue from short courses, workshops, and educational programs on evidence-based health, medical writing, and health technology assessment.
3. Membership and Partnership Contributions: Contributions from partner associates including ANF, APIFARMA, APHP, MedicineOne, and Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo, as well as institutional associates FMUL and FFUL.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISBE is a non-profit umbrella institute that generates, synthesizes, disseminates, and translates scientific evidence in health for the Portuguese health system. It sells commissioned research and consulting services including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, real-world evidence studies, health economics and outcomes research, health technology assessments, qualitative studies, policy research, value-based healthcare implementation, AI in health, medical writing, statistical support, and data quality assessment, alongside educational programs (short courses, workshops, annual events) such as the Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodologies in Health course.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Systematic Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and Literature Reviews Comprehensive literature synthesis services following rigorous evidence-based methodology, for healthcare researchers, policy makers, and industry clients requiring defensible evidence summaries.
• Real-World Evidence and Epidemiological Studies Real-world evidence generation through epidemiological analysis of health phenomena using big data databases to support NHS decision-making, for healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical industry clients.
• Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Economic evaluation of healthcare interventions and outcomes analysis for informed decision-making by payers, regulators, and pharmaceutical industry clients.
• Health Technology Assessment Detailed benefit, risk, and cost analyses of new technologies including drugs, equipment, and clinical practices using QALYS and ICER metrics, for regulatory and reimbursement decision-makers.
• Qualitative Studies and Delphi Panels Qualitative research including focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and Delphi panel consensus methodologies for healthcare stakeholders.
• Preference Studies (Discrete Choice Experiments and Willingness-to-Pay) Patient and stakeholder preference measurement using discrete choice experiments and willingness-to-pay analyses, for industry and policy clients.
• Policy Studies Policy research services including desk research, horizon scanning, consensus development, policy briefs, and calls to action, for health policy makers and regulators.
• Value-Based Health Care VBHC implementation support including outcomes measurement, patient pathway analysis, TDABC costing, and value communication, for healthcare provider organizations.
• Artificial Intelligence in Health AI and machine learning services including algorithms for clinical decision support systems, image classification, and predictive analytics, for healthcare providers and research institutions.
• Medical Writing Professional medical writing services for peer-reviewed publications, regulatory documents, and clinical reports, for academic and industry clients.
• Medical Translations Translation services for medical and scientific documents, for academic, industry, and clinical clients.
• Data Quality Assessment Data quality evaluation and validation services for research datasets, for research institutions and industry clients.
• Statistical Support Statistical analysis and methodological support for research projects, for academic and industry research clients.
• Value Communication Tools Tools and methodologies for communicating healthcare value to stakeholders, for industry and policy clients.
• USFarmácia Collaborative pharmacy and primary care hypertension and hyperlipidemia management research program/model in Portugal, with published cost-effectiveness and cost-utility studies.
• Annual Event Series on Evidence-Based Health Topics Annual conference series covering topics including Overdiagnosis, Real-World Evidence, Digital Health, Medical Devices, and European HTA Regulation, with tiered registration pricing.
• Medical Device Regulation Workshop Workshop titled 'Regulamentação de Dispositivos Médicos na Europa: Certificação, Aspetos Legais e Desafios do Mercado' delivered with Hope Care and PLMJ, covering certification, legal aspects, and market challenges.
• Short Courses on Qualitative Research Methodologies in Health Course on Introduction to Qualitative Research Methodologies in Health, offered as part of ISBE's educational programming for health researchers and professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 peer-reviewed publications from 2019-2025 covering topics including COVID-19 research, health economics, and health technology assessment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hope CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Workshop partnership for 'Regulamentação de Dispositivos Médicos na Europa: Certificação, Aspetos Legais e Desafios do Mercado' held July 14, 2025. Hope Care is a digital health company collaborating with ISBE on medical device regulation education and certification guidance.
• PLMJcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Legal partnership for medical device regulation workshop held July 14, 2025. PLMJ, a major Portuguese law firm, provided the venue and contributed legal expertise on regulatory compliance and cybersecurity aspects of medical devices.
• Cochrane PortugalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISBE serves as the host organization for Cochrane Portugal, which was officially launched January 16, 2020. Cochrane Portugal includes three Associated Centers at the Medical Schools of Universities of Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra, with potential Affiliated Centers at Universities of Braga, Covilhã, and Nova Lisbon. ISBE Director António Vaz Carneiro serves as Cochrane Portugal Director.
• Faculty of Medicine University of Lisbon (FMUL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional associate providing academic oversight and hosting ISBE headquarters at the Faculty of Medicine. Dean Fausto Pinto serves on ISBE Board of Directors.
• Faculty of Pharmacy University of Lisbon (FFUL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional associate providing academic support. Dean Maria Beatriz da Silva Lima serves on ISBE Scientific Board and Board of Directors.
• ANF - Associação Nacional das FarmáciascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner associate representing Portuguese pharmacies. Heitor Costa represents ANF on ISBE Board of Directors.
• APIFARMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner associate representing the Portuguese pharmaceutical industry, participating in research initiatives and annual events.
• APHP - Associação Portuguesa de Hospitais PharmacêuticoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner associate representing hospital pharmacists. Heitor Costa represents APHP on ISBE Board of Directors.
• MedicineOneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner associate representing healthcare technology providers.
• Plataforma Saúde em DiálogocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatient organization partner. Rosário Zincke dos Reis represents Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo on ISBE Board of Directors. ISBE collaborates on workshops including 'DECIDIR HOJE. PARTICIPAR AMANHÃ' on Advanced Directives and scientific research.
• D-Way Initiative PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiabetes care initiative bringing together healthcare stakeholders to improve care for people living with diabetes in Portugal. Led by ISBE with Prof. Ana Paula Martins on the Commission of Honor and Prof. António Vaz Carneiro as Principal Investigator.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER): US-based independent HTA organization producing value-based price benchmarks and clinical evidence reports. Highly comparable to ISBE's HTA, HEOR, and value-based healthcare service lines.
• PRMA Consulting: HEOR and market-access consultancy specializing in HTA submissions and payer engagement. Closely comparable niche HEOR competitor targeting the same pharmaceutical and medtech client base as ISBE.
• RTI Health Solutions: Independent HEOR, patient-centered outcomes, and market-access consulting organization. Direct competitor in delivering HTA dossiers, systematic reviews, and value-communication services to pharma and medtech.
• Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH): Canadian national HTA agency providing health technology assessments and evidence recommendations. Comparable as a public-interest HTA producer serving payers and health systems, similar in mission to ISBE.
• Cochrane: Global evidence-synthesis organization producing systematic reviews across health topics. ISBE hosts Cochrane Portugal and operates in the same evidence-based methodology space, making it the closest functional and institutional peer.

Broad incumbents

• European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA): EU-wide HTA network coordinating joint assessments and methods. Directly comparable as ISBE engages with European HTA regulation, though at a supranational scale.
• IQVIA (HEOR/RWE practice): Global life-sciences consulting firm with large HEOR, real-world evidence, and HTA practice. Competes for the same pharmaceutical-sponsored HEOR/RWE work that ISBE targets, but at vastly larger scale.
• NICE — National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: UK's flagship HTA and clinical-guideline body performing technology appraisals and HEOR. A larger incumbent in the same HTA/clinical-evaluation space, with overlapping methodologies but broader regulatory remit.

Regional players

• RedETS / Avalia-t (Galician HTA Agency): Spanish regional HTA unit producing health technology assessments within the Spanish national HTA network. Comparable in scope and size as a public-interest HTA producer serving a single national/regional health system.

Others

• Infarmed (Portuguese National Authority of Medicines and Health Products): Portuguese medicines and health-products regulator conducting HTA and pharmacoeconomic evaluation. Adjacent, enabling stakeholder — a key prospective client and policy counterpart for ISBE's HTA work in Portugal.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isbe-pt

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 ISBE - Institute for Evidence-Based Health