Quality in Pathology

What Quality in Pathology does

Quality in Pathology (QuIP GmbH) is a Berlin-based, association-owned quality assurance provider for diagnostic pathology, founded in 2004 as a joint subsidiary of the German Society of Pathology (DGP) and the Federal Association of German Pathologists (BDP). The company organizes external proficiency testing programs for immunohistochemistry (IHC) and molecular pathology, covering biomarkers such as HER2, PD-L1, ALK, ROS1, EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF, and serves pathology institutes, hospital pathology departments, pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, and individual pathologists primarily across Germany and neighboring European countries. Its recurring proficiency tests are accredited by the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17043.

QuIP's core technology stack comprises web-based proficiency testing workflows, the QuIP-QS-Monitor statistical benchmarking tool (which centralizes diagnostic results and produces daily-updated comparative evaluations against national averages), the Zerpa evaluation and certification platform, and a Digital Readout Test (DRT) format launched in 2022 that enables web-based evaluation of digitized histology slides. A unified customer portal — the QuIP Customer Center and QuIP Shop — was launched in January 2026 to consolidate registration, booking, and certificate access. The company also operates six biomarker-specific content portals (PD-L1, FGFR, HRD, Lung-Carcinoma, Breast-Cancer, MSI) and participates in the EMPAIA consortium for AI-assisted pathology diagnostics.

The business model is transaction-based, with per-test fees (e.g., €1,000 for the 2025 IDH1/IDH2 MolPath proficiency test), plus shipping and administrative surcharges for non-Eurozone participants; customers self-register through the website and shop platform. QuIP is funded entirely by its two association shareholders — it has no venture capital, no private equity, no public listing, and no disclosed revenue. Go-to-market is primarily digital (website, newsletter, webcasts, LinkedIn, biomarker portals) complemented by participation in pathology congresses, with the EMPAIA partnership extending its footprint into the AI-assisted diagnostics ecosystem.

Name

Quality in Pathology

Legal name

Qualitätssicherungs-Initiative Pathologie QuIP GmbH

Website

https://qualityinpathology.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quality in Pathology (QuIP) is a Berlin-based, association-owned provider of external quality assurance for diagnostic pathology, running DAkkS-accredited proficiency tests in immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology for pathology institutes, hospitals, and pharma clients across Germany and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pathology Quality Assurance Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAHAAAL

Quality Control, Calibrators, Standards & Proficiency Testing (IVD Consumables)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Medical Devices & Diagnostics/In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) & Laboratory Diagnostics

SECONDARYHLAGADAC

Release Testing & Batch Certification (QC)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services

Keywords

• Proficiency testing services
• Pathology quality assurance
• Immunohistochemistry testing
• Molecular pathology tests
• Diagnostic quality assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Proficiency Test Fees: Fees charged for participation in proficiency tests for immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology. Prices vary by test type; example: IDH1/IDH2 Mutation Analysis costs €1,000. Shipping costs additional: €60 for EU/European non-EU countries, €120 for World. Administrative fee of €10 for non-Eurozone participants.
2. Digital Readout Test Fees: Fees for online digital readout tests where participants evaluate digitized samples. Some DRTs offered free or at low cost with industry sponsor support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Quality in Pathology (QuIP) is a Berlin-based provider of external quality assurance (proficiency testing) programs for diagnostic pathology laboratories. It delivers recurring proficiency tests for immunohistochemistry (IHC, e.g., HER2, PD-L1, ALK, ROS1) and molecular pathology (e.g., EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, NRAS, MSI), together with innovative Digital Readout Tests (DRT) where conventional samples are replaced by digitized specimens evaluated online. Its offering is accredited by DAkkS under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17043 and serves pathology institutes, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical/diagnostic industry.

Product overview

Quality in Pathology (QuIP) operates a platform-based quality assurance ecosystem for diagnostic pathology. The core offerings are Proficiency Tests (traditional wet-lab external quality assessment for IHC and molecular pathology) and Digital Readout Tests (web-based evaluation of digitized samples for individual pathologist competency). Supporting the core testing programs are six biomarker-specific information portals (PD-L1, FGFR, HRD, Lung-Carcinoma, Breast-Cancer, MSI), the QuIP-QS-Monitor statistical benchmarking tool, and the EMPAIA AI assistance ecosystem. The company also provides educational content through online seminars and webcasts. A unified customer portal (launched 2026) integrates account management, test registration, and certificate access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QuIP-QS-Monitor: A statistical analysis tool for quality assurance designed to accompany the daily routine of pathologists in Germany. It allows pathologists to enter diagnostic results into a central database and generate statistical evaluations for comparative assessment.
• Digital Readout Tests (DRT)
• EMPAIA

Products and services

• Proficiency Tests – Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Servier Deutschland GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Provided scientific support for IDH1/IDH2 Mutation Analysis in Gliomas (MolPath) 2025 proficiency test.
• EMPAIA Consortium Partners (Charité Berlin, Fraunhofer MEVIS, vitagroup AG, DAI-Labor TU Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020EMPAIA (Ecosystem for Pathology diagnostics with AI Assistance) is a collaborative project to speed up AI adoption in pathology diagnostics in Germany. QuIP is a consortium partner along with Charité, Fraunhofer MEVIS, vitagroup AG, and DAI-Labor TU Berlin. Funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (2020-2023).
• European Society of Pathology (ESP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual certificate recognition agreement established in 2014 between ESP and QuIP. Joint ESP/QuIP proficiency tests conducted for ALK and ROS1 markers in lung cancer.
• German Accreditation Body (DAkkS)coreOthersOfficial accreditation body that has accredited QuIP's recurring proficiency tests according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17043 standard.
• Reference Institute for Bioanalytics (RfB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation launched in 2009 for reference methodology support in proficiency testing.
• Pharmaceutical and Diagnostic Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partners (pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies) are essential for development and sponsoring of prototype proficiency tests. QuIP acts as independent mediator between industry and pathology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• College of American Pathologists (CAP) - Proficiency Testing: CAP operates large-scale, globally distributed proficiency testing programs across pathology and laboratory medicine, overlapping with QuIP's scope but serving a much wider international audience as part of a broader accreditation and standards portfolio.

Others

• European Society of Pathology (ESP): ESP is a pan-European professional society that already co-runs joint proficiency tests with QuIP (e.g., ALK/ROS1), positioning it as both an existing partner and a potential source of competing QA programs in Europe.
• PathoZoom (Smart In Media AG): PathoZoom is QuIP's technology partner providing the digital slide viewer and webshop/portal infrastructure used in PD-L1 and biomarker portals; it is an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct QA competitor.

Direct peers

• European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EMQN): EMQN organizes EQA schemes for molecular genetic testing across Europe, comparable to QuIP's molecular pathology proficiency tests in target audience, biomarker focus, and European regulatory positioning.
• INSTAND e.V. INSTAND is a German reference institution for external quality assurance in medical laboratories, offering proficiency testing schemes that overlap directly with QuIP's IHC and molecular pathology programs in the German market.
• GenQA (Genomics Quality Assessment): GenQA provides EQA schemes for molecular genetics and genomics, directly comparable to QuIP's molecular pathology proficiency tests for biomarkers such as EGFR, KRAS, BRAF and IDH1/2.
• NordiQC: NordiQC is the Nordic immunohistochemical proficiency testing program, operating IHC EQA schemes highly analogous to QuIP's IHC proficiency tests and serving pathology laboratories across multiple European countries.
• UK NEQAS (UK National External Quality Assessment Service): UK NEQAS runs external quality assessment schemes across multiple pathology disciplines including cellular pathology and molecular genetics, directly comparable to QuIP's proficiency testing portfolio.
• Reference Institute for Bioanalytics (RfB): RfB is a German proficiency testing provider for clinical chemistry and bioanalytics with whom QuIP has a cooperation since 2009, addressing adjacent laboratory disciplines in the same national QA ecosystem.

Regional players

• QMP-LS (Quality Management Program – Laboratory Services, Canada): QMP-LS provides laboratory proficiency testing and quality management services in Canada, structurally analogous to QuIP but operating primarily in a different national/regional market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quality-in-pathology

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 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 Quality in Pathology