Nursing Science (INS), Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Universität Basel

What Nursing Science (INS), Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Universität Basel does

The Nursing Science Institute (INS) is the academic nursing research and education unit within the Medical Faculty of the University of Basel, established in 2000 as the first university nursing science institute in Switzerland. It delivers Switzerland's flagship nursing science academic pipeline — a BSc and Master of Science in Nursing program, a PhD program, and an expanding portfolio of continuing education offerings including the CAS INTERCARE (interprofessional care in nursing homes), Leadership in Pflegeheimen, SPINE Summer School, and Implementation Science courses. The institute's primary "customers" are aspiring and practicing nursing professionals in Switzerland and the broader German-speaking region, with secondary stakeholders including healthcare provider organizations and policy bodies. As of 2024, the institute employs over 100 staff (approximately 50 FTE), making it the largest dedicated nursing science unit in the country and ranking #1 in the German-speaking region, #16 in Europe, and #42 internationally per the Shanghai Ranking.

The institute operates a hybrid academic-business model funded through three principal streams: (1) University of Basel core faculty budget allocations, (2) competitive research grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), EU framework programs, and other public funders, and (3) fee-based continuing education and CAS programs. Its research output is organized around six Academy-Practice Partnerships (APPs) with regional healthcare institutions that serve as living laboratories. Core intellectual property includes BAASIS© (a medication adherence assessment tool distributed across 487 projects in 19 languages), the SQUEEZE Care Model, the SMILe eHealth/AI monitoring application, and the CONCERN-AI and NurseAssist-AI multimodal AI research programs. A 2024 Letter of Intent with Kantonsspital Baselland (KSBL) and a 2025 curriculum revision adding a Nurse Practitioner specialization indicate active commercial-academic and product-line expansion.

Name

Nursing Science (INS), Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Universität Basel

Legal name

Institut für Pflegewissenschaft - Nursing Science (INS), Universität Basel

Website

https://nursing.unibas.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Nursing Science Institute (INS) at the University of Basel is Switzerland's first university nursing science institute, delivering BSc/MSc/PhD programs, continuing education certificates, and applied research in nursing practice, AI/eHealth, and care models for nursing professionals and healthcare partner institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Education and Clinical Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAGAC

Schools of Nursing

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAGAA

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYEDAHALAF

Online Healthcare & Nursing Universities (Allied Health, RN-to-BSN, etc.)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Distance & Online Universities

SECONDARYEDAAAPAA

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Industry-Specific Training (Healthcare, Tech, etc.)

SECONDARYEDAAALAC

Healthcare Clinical Professions (CME/CE for Nurses, Allied Health, Pharmacy)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Nursing science education
• Clinical nursing research
• Graduate nursing programs
• Healthcare implementation science
• Continuing health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. University Core Funding: Base financing from university funds as part of the University of Basel's Medical Faculty structure.
2. Research Grants: Third-party funding from Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), European Union research programs, and other competitive grant mechanisms supporting the institute's extensive research portfolio.
3. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue from professional development offerings including CAS INTERCARE, Leadership courses, SPINE Summer School, and Implementation Science programs targeting practicing healthcare professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INS delivers graduate-level education (Master of Science in Nursing and PhD in Nursing Science) and continuing professional development (CAS INTERCARE, Leadership courses, SPINE Summer School, Implementation Science programs). It conducts clinically oriented nursing research across two focus areas — Innovative Care Models and Patient Safety & Care Quality — and develops proprietary research instruments such as the BAASIS© adherence scale and the SMILe eHealth app.

Product overview

Nursing Science (INS) is an academic institute offering educational programs and conducting clinical nursing research. The portfolio consists of a Master's program in Nursing Science (with specialization tracks in Research and Advanced Nursing Practice, with Nurse Practitioner added from Fall 2026), PhD programs, and continuing education offerings including CAS INTERCARE, Leadership courses, SPINE Summer School, and Implementation Science. Research projects focus on innovative care models, patient safety, and care quality with several eHealth-powered tools including the SMILe app, BAASIS© adherence assessment scale, and various digital health interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Science in Nursing University Master's degree program in Nursing Science preparing nursing professionals for leadership roles in healthcare delivery development, with specializations in Research and Advanced Nursing Practice. From Fall 2026, adds a Nurse Practitioner specialization track.
• PhD Program in Nursing Science Doctoral program in Nursing Science within the Medical Faculty, following a structured PhD track with international partnerships, for nurses seeking research and academic careers.
• CAS INTERCARE Certificate of Advanced Studies program in partnership with CURAVIVA for nursing professionals in long-term care leadership and management roles.
• Leadership in Pflegeheimen Clinical leadership program for middle management in nursing homes, developed in collaboration with CURAVIVA Basel, targeting nurse leaders in long-term care settings.
• SPINE Summer School 2025 Swiss PhD Nursing Science platform annual summer school event for doctoral researchers in nursing science.
• Implementation Science Continuing Education Professional development offering in implementation science methodologies, building on the BANANA contextual analysis framework developed at INS.
• BAASIS© (Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medication Scale) Validated assessment instrument for measuring adherence to immunosuppressive medications in transplant recipients; recommended in COMMIT guidelines as a 5th vital sign in transplantation; translated into 19 languages and used in 487 research/clinical projects worldwide as of November 2025.
• SMILe App eHealth application developed in the SMILe project for allogeneic stem cell transplant patients to monitor daily medical, symptom-related, and behavioral parameters and transmit data to transplant centers for early detection of critical situations.
• SQUEEZE Care Model eHealth-powered integrated care model (SCM-DTx) for rheumatoid arthritis patients to improve DMARD medication adherence through shared decision making, part of EU-wide SQUEEZE consortium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 Master graduates in 25 years, with alumni holding leadership positions including cantonal nursing directors, hospital nursing directors, professors, and APNs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kantonsspital Baselland (KSBL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Letter of Intent signed in 2024 for cooperation in research, education, and practice development between INS and KSBL.
• Universitäre Altersmedizin FELIX PLATTER (UAFP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Academy-Practice Partnership strengthened in 2021 through a cooperation contract with Switzerland's first medical center specializing in health in aging. Focus areas include clinical teaching and utilizing synergies in joint research projects, particularly the AdvantAGE transitional care program.
• KZU Kompetenzzentrum Pflege und GesundheitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academy-Practice Partnership established in 2019 with the KZU (care centers in Embrach, Bassersdorf, Nürensdorf, and Winkel). Pursues joint interests in connecting research and practice through collaborative research projects, strengthening practice development, and developing ethical foundational structures. Led by Prof. Franziska Zúñiga's research area.
• Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel (UPK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Academy-Practice Partnership in psychiatric care established through a letter of intent in 2016 with the Department of Development and Research Nursing, MTD and Social Work at UPK. Long-term cooperation in teaching, research, and continuing education was agreed upon.
• Universitätsspital Basel (USB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Formalized Academy-Practice Partnership (APP) established in January 2015 with the Universitätsspital Basel, Department of Practice Development Nursing/MTT (APE). The cooperation contract covers joint projects in teaching, research, and clinical field development, with annual alignment to the strategic objectives of both parties. Includes an assistant professorship position.
• CURAVIVA Basel-Stadt & BasellandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Academy-Practice Partnership in long-term care established in 2015 with the two CURAVIVA associations covering both Basel cantons. Goals include networking academy and practice, providing mutual support resources for practice development, and enabling high-quality care for residents. Programs include CAS INTERCARE and Leadership courses.
• University of Pittsburgh, School of NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership established with a 3-year cooperation contract in 2007 for active exchange in teaching and research. The partnership enables access to excellent content experts and valuable inspiration for INS staff.
• University of Pennsylvania, School of NursingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership through a 5-year cooperation contract (Lehre und Forschung) signed in 2002, providing INS with access to international nursing science expertise and research collaboration opportunities.
• University of LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership providing INS staff with access to excellent content experts and valuable inspiration. The university is also a partner in the SMILe project for stem cell transplantation care.
• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership established in 2011 with a cooperation agreement to collaborate in research and teaching on a project basis. Contributes to international research network access for INS researchers.
• UNIL Institut Universitaire de Formation et de Recherche en Soins (IUFRS), Université de LausannecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with the University of Lausanne's nursing institute, contributing to INS's interdisciplinary and international academic partnerships network.
• HAP (Health for All Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational cooperation project in the third-party funding area, where INS provides experts in areas such as nursing curriculum assessment, clinical placements, training needs of nurses and training personnel, and project management support.
• Swiss TPH (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner, notably in the EMPOWER project on nursing workforce decision-making processes.
• Kantonsspital Baselland (KSBL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLetter of Intent signed in 2024 for cooperation in research, education, and practice development between INS and KSBL.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UNIL Institut Universitaire de Formation et de Recherche en Soins (IUFRS): Swiss academic partner of INS at the University of Lausanne; directly comparable nursing research and education institute operating within a Swiss academic medical context.
• KU Leuven Institute for Nursing Science: Belgian academic partner of INS; leading European nursing science institute with PhD programs and clinical research similar to INS's structure.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing: Academic partner under a 3-year cooperation agreement since 2007; U.S. nursing school with parallel research, PhD, and clinical-translation focus.
• Duke University School of Nursing: Partner of INS since 2011; comparable research-intensive U.S. nursing school with strong PhD, NP, and eHealth research portfolios.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing: Long-term academic partner of INS under a cooperation contract since 2002; top-tier U.S. research nursing school offering BSN, MSN, PhD and DNP programs with comparable research-intensive structure.

Broad incumbents

• University of Manchester Division of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work: UK research-intensive nursing division offering doctoral training and clinical research; broader portfolio but overlapping positioning as a European academic nursing science leader.
• Karolinska Institutet Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society: Large European medical university with a prominent nursing science division; broader scope than INS but directly comparable research intensity and Nordic leadership in nursing science.
• King's College London Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care: Major UK nursing and midwifery faculty with research output and PhD training comparable to INS, but operating at significantly larger scale within a broader health-sciences university.
• Maastricht University Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI): Dutch multidisciplinary research school focused on care and public health, including nursing science; comparable focus on implementation science and practice-based research.

Regional players

• Edinburgh Napier University School of Health and Social Care: UK-based school offering nursing education and applied research; comparable in offering practice-oriented research and continuing education but operating in a different geography with stronger applied-health focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/nursing-science-ins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Nursing Science (INS), Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Universität Basel