What NAKO Gesundheitsstudie does

NAKO Gesundheitsstudie (German National Cohort), legally organized as NAKO e.V., is a Heidelberg-based non-profit research association established in 2014 to operate Germany's largest population-based prospective epidemiological cohort study. The study randomly enrolled over 200,000 participants aged 20-69 across 18 study centers nationwide, conducting comprehensive medical examinations (including imaging, multi-omics sampling, accelerometry, and environmental exposure assessments) at baseline and follow-up intervals of every five years. The underlying infrastructure comprises the NAKO Biorepository at Helmholtz Munich for biological sample storage, the NAKO TransferHub for researcher data access applications, the myNAKO participant portal, and the YoungNAKO graduate training program.

NAKO e.V. does not operate a commercial business model. The organization is financed through public funds from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Helmholtz Association, and participating federal states, with 26 institutional research partners (universities, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Leibniz-Gemeinschaft) executing the work. Its primary "customer" segments are the general German population (study participants contributing data) and academic researchers who apply for access to the longitudinal dataset through formal application processes. The organization is currently conducting its third examination phase (Drittuntersuchung) and was designated a central component of the federal National Decade against Post-Infectious Diseases initiative in 2025/2026.

The board is chaired by Prof. Dr. Annette Peters (Director of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich), with Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lieb, Prof. Dr. Tobias Pischon, and Prof. Dr. Tamara Schikowski serving as scientific board members and Dr. Esther Breunig as administrative board member. The association's headcount of 30 reflects its lean central coordinating body, with the bulk of operational capacity distributed across the 18 study centers and 26 partner institutions.

Name

NAKO Gesundheitsstudie

Legal name

NAKO e.V.

Website

https://nako.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NAKO Gesundheitsstudie is a German non-profit research association operating the country's largest population-based longitudinal health cohort study, following 200,000+ participants across 18 study centers and serving academic researchers with access to multi-omics, imaging, and survey data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Population Health Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Population Health Surveillance & Epidemiologic Analytics (HLAJAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Linkage, Registries & Longitudinal Cohort Surveillance (HLAJANAM), Health Statistics & Reporting (National/State/Local Indicators) (HLAJAJAC), Behavioral Risk & Health Survey Surveillance (HLAJANAD), Census, Demographic & Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) (HLAJAJAH), Health Data, Vital Statistics & Population Health Informatics (BPAIAJAM)

Keywords

• Population health research
• Epidemiological cohort study
• Longitudinal health data
• Biomedical research infrastructure
• Clinical research services

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NAKO Gesundheitsstudie is Germany's largest population-based prospective epidemiological cohort study, medically examining and surveying over 200,000 randomly selected participants aged 20-69 across 18 study centers since 2014 with follow-up examinations every five years. The study collects comprehensive medical examination data, lifestyle questionnaires, biosamples stored in a centralized biorepository, and multi-omics and imaging data to investigate risk factors and causes of common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions. Researchers access NAKO data through the NAKO TransferHub, while participants engage via the myNAKO portal.

Product overview

NAKO Gesundheitsstudie operates as a unified research infrastructure combining population-based longitudinal cohort research with supporting services and platforms. The core offering is the German National Cohort study, which follows over 200,000 participants through comprehensive medical examinations and surveys. This core is supported by the myNAKO participant portal for participant management, the NAKO TransferHub for researcher data access, and consultation services for research support. Additional offerings include the YoungNAKO graduate programme for researcher training, the NAKO Biorepository for biological sample storage, research newsletters, and annual international conferences. The study provides researchers with access to diverse data types including accelerometry, genomics, environmental data, and imaging data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• myNAKO: Participants portal for NAKO study participants to access their data and information
• YoungNAKO
• NAKO TransferHub
• International NAKO Conference

Products and services

• NAKO Gesundheitsstudie (German National Cohort) Population-based prospective epidemiological cohort study medically examining and surveying over 200,000 randomly selected participants aged 20-69 across 18 study centers, with follow-up examinations every five years to investigate risk factors and causes of common diseases.
• NAKO TransferHub Online platform providing researchers with access to NAKO data, documentation, application processes, and consultation services for data use requests.
• NAKO Consultation Service Remote consultation appointments via Microsoft Teams for researchers seeking guidance on NAKO services, data applications, and research support, available Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am-2pm CET.
• myNAKO Participant Portal Online portal for study participants to access their information, manage participation details, and communicate with study centers.
• YoungNAKO Graduate Programme Graduate program for early-career researchers focusing on population-based cohort studies, including training modules on biosample collection, analysis pipelines, and cohort research methodologies.
• NAKO Research Newsletter English-language newsletter providing researchers with updates on NAKO studies, new data releases, research findings, and conference information.
• NAKO Biorepository Centralized storage facility for biological samples collected during participant examinations, located at Helmholtz Munich, providing sample processing and storage for research analysis.
• International NAKO Conference Annual international scientific conference organized by NAKO e.V., bringing together researchers to share findings, build collaborations, and discuss the future of population health research using NAKO data.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• FinnGen: Public-private Finnish genomics project combining biobank samples with national health registry data at population scale. Comparable population-genomics orientation with strong biobank and registry linkage, though with a genomics-first rather than multi-omics design.

Direct peers

• China Kadoorie Biobank: Prospective cohort of ~512,000 Chinese adults with baseline measures, biosamples, and long-term follow-up via linkage to mortality and morbidity registries. Comparable in scale, structure, and chronic-disease research focus to NAKO.
• Lifelines: Netherlands population-based three-generation cohort of ~167,000 participants with biosamples, genetics, and follow-up. Comparable European regional cohort with similar multi-modal data collection and population-based recruitment model.
• EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition): Multi-country European prospective cohort investigating diet, lifestyle, and cancer with ~500,000 participants across 10 countries. Comparable European longitudinal cohort design with biosamples and disease-specific focus.
• UK Biobank: UK population-based prospective cohort of ~500,000 participants with deep phenotyping, biosamples, and linked health records. The most directly comparable large-scale national cohort infrastructure and the benchmark NAKO is positioned alongside in the international cohort ecosystem.
• Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project: Canada's largest population-based cohort harmonizing regional cohorts with ~300,000 participants and biosamples. National-scale publicly funded cohort with similar data-access mechanisms and longitudinal follow-up.
• All of Us Research Program (NIH): US federally funded longitudinal program aiming to enroll 1 million+ diverse participants with genomic, EHR, and survey data. Directly comparable mission and structure to NAKO, with similar longitudinal cohort design and public funding model.

Regional players

• Estonian Biobank (EstBB): Population-based biobank of ~200,000 Estonian participants linked to national EHR and genomic data. Comparable in scale and biobank-centric design; smaller national population, similar pan-European research positioning.

Others

• Helmholtz Munich: NAKO e.V. operates within the broader Helmholtz Association ecosystem and hosts the NAKO Biorepository at Helmholtz Munich. Helmholtz Munich provides scientific governance infrastructure and is comparable as the parent research environment that anchors NAKO operations.

Broad incumbents

• The Rotterdam Study: Long-running prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands focusing on chronic diseases in the elderly. Comparable population-cohort methodology and chronic-disease research orientation, though smaller and more focused than NAKO.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/nako.de
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nakostudie
• Facebookfacebook.com/NAKOGesundheitsstudie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nako-gesundheitsstudie
• Instagraminstagram.com/nakogesundheitsstudie

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NAKO Gesundheitsstudie