Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali

What Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali does

Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali (SISS) is a non-profit scientific and professional association (associazione senza fini di lucro) founded around 2003 and headquartered in Florence, Italy (via Donizetti, 6, 50144). It is the principal Italian body dedicated to promoting and disseminating sensory science research, serving sensory science professionals, food and beverage companies, and Italian academic and research institutions. SISS organizes biennial national conferences, coordinates seven specialized working groups (FOOD&BEVERAGE COMPANY SENSORY NETWORK, CARE 'N SENSE, MIND IN MOUTH, TASTE SENSITIVITY, HEALTH, UNI SISS, GIOVANI RICERCATORI), and participates in major international congresses including Eurosense and Pangborn.

SISS's core offerings center on a state-authorized professional certification program. Since 2013, it has issued the "Sensory Project Manager" (SPM) and "Sensory Project Manager Junior" (SPMJ) quality and qualification certificates under Italian Law 4/2013, with authorization from the Ministry of Economic Development (Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico). Certification examination fees are set at €550 for association members and €650 for non-members. Supporting the certification body, SISS maintains the Atlante Sensoriale dei Prodotti Alimentari (published 2012, Tecniche Nuove, Milan, with 46 contributing authors), a digital Sensory Library, a Sensory Job Platform connecting employers with sensory professionals, and the Italian Taste research project, launched in 2015 across 19 public and private laboratories.

Revenue is generated through individual and organizational membership fees, certification exam fees, conference and training event participation, and supporting-member contributions from companies such as Kerry Ingredients & Flavours, Barilla G. e R. Fratelli, and Enrico Giotti S.p.A. (a McCormick & Company subsidiary). SISS is affiliated with the European Sensory Science Society (E3S), which it helped found in Florence in 2011, providing access to a European network spanning 13 countries. The organization is governed by its members under an organizational chart published on its website (scienzesensoriali.it), with no venture capital, private equity, or public listing involved.

Name

Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali

Legal name

Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali

Website

https://scienzesensoriali.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SISS is a Florence-based non-profit professional association that promotes sensory science research in Italy, issuing state-authorized Sensory Project Manager certifications under Law 4/2013, organizing national conferences and working groups, and serving sensory scientists, food and beverage companies, and Italian research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association and Sensory Science Certification

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Project, Program & Portfolio Management Certifications (EDAAANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC)

Keywords

• Sensory science association
• Professional certification services
• Sensory evaluation research
• Consumer research training
• Food science networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Firenze

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SISS is a non-profit scientific and professional association that promotes sensory science research in Italy. It sells individual membership subscriptions, professional certification programs (Sensory Project Manager and Sensory Project Manager Junior) under Law 4/2013, organizes biennial national conferences and training courses, and provides a job platform, digital sensory library, and coordinated research working groups for the Italian sensory science community.

Product overview

Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali (SISS) is a non-profit scientific and professional association dedicated to promoting sensory science research in Italy. The organization offers professional certification programs (Sensory Project Manager and SPM Junior), maintains a sensory library and publication resources, provides a job platform for the sensory science community, and coordinates research working groups. SISS is affiliated with the European Sensory Science Society (E3S) and organizes national conferences and training events. The association does not operate as a software or technology product company but rather as a professional standards and research coordination body.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Italian Taste: A research project of the Italian Sensory Science Society aimed at studying food preferences with a multidisciplinary approach, launched in 2015.

Products and services

• Sensory Project Manager (SPM) Certification Professional certification program authorized by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development under Law 4/2013, qualifying individuals as Sensory Project Managers with quality and professional qualification attestation.
• Sensory Project Manager Junior (SPMJ) Certification Entry-level professional certification for junior sensory project managers, part of the same Law 4/2013 certification framework as the SPM certification.
• Sensory Job Platform Online platform connecting employers with sensory science professionals, featuring job postings and opportunities in the field of sensory science.
• Newsletter Subscription Mailing list subscription service for members and interested parties to receive updates on events, news, and association activities.
• Atlante Sensoriale dei Prodotti Alimentari Published in 2012 (Tecniche Nuove, Milan), this systematic work addresses sensory description across 13 categories of processed food products, authored by 46 contributing members.
• Biblioteca Sensoriale (Sensory Library) Digital library containing PhD theses, sensory publications, new book releases, journals, and educational courses related to sensory science.
• Working Groups (Gruppi di Lavoro) Coordinated specialized working groups including Food & Beverage Company Sensory Network, Care 'N Sense, Mind in Mouth, Taste Sensitivity, Health, UNI SISS, and Giovani Ricercatori, providing structured research and industry collaboration opportunities.
• SISS Association Membership Individual and corporate membership of the Italian Sensory Science Society, providing access to certification benefits, training events, networking, working groups, and publications.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• European Sensory Science Society (E3S)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISS is associated with E3S, which was founded with SISS's support in Florence in 2011. E3S connects sensory science societies across Europe including Austria (SNOE), Denmark (D2S), Finland, France (SFAS), Germany (DGSens), Ireland, Norway (SSG), Spain (AEPAS), Sweden (SSN), Switzerland, Netherlands (MOA), and UK (IFST). SISS participates in E3S Working Groups and student exchange programs.
• Kerry Ingredients & Flavours SpAsupportingOthersSupporting member of SISS. A global ingredients and flavors company contributing to the association's activities.
• Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A.supportingOthersSupporting member of SISS. Major Italian food company contributing to the association's activities.
• Enrico Giotti S.p.A. (subsidiary of McCormick & Company, Inc.)supportingOthersSupporting member of SISS. Subsidiary of McCormick & Company, a global spices and flavors company.
• AEPAS (Spanish Professionals Association of Sensory Science)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISS and AEPAS have established a student exchange award program (Premio Gemellaggio Studenti) promoting scientific mobility between Spain and Italy and creating opportunities for new generations of professionals and researchers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SFAS (Société Française d'Analyse Sensorielle): French national sensory science professional association and E3S member. Same activities (conferences, working groups, industry-academia coordination) for the French market.
• AEPAS (Asociación Española de Profesionales del Análisis Sensorial): Spanish national sensory science professional association and E3S member. Directly comparable to SISS in mission (certifying sensory professionals, hosting conferences, coordinating industry research), and already an active student-exchange partner via the Premio Gemellaggio Studenti.
• SSG (Sensorik Selskapet i Norge): Norwegian sensory science society and E3S member. Comparable national-level professional association focused on sensory and consumer research, hosting E3S-affiliated activities.
• European Sensory Science Society (E3S): Pan-European federation co-founded by SISS in Florence in 2011. Operates the same model at a higher level: working groups, student exchanges, and the Eurosense biennial conference. Comparable as a coordinating body for the same professional community.
• SNOE (Sensorik Netzwerk Österreich): Austrian sensory science network and E3S member. Performs a comparable national-coordination role for sensory science professionals and industry partners in Austria.
• DGSens (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sensorik): German national sensory science society and E3S member. Same mission and operating model as SISS — professional certification, conferences, and industry-academic research coordination — for the German market.

Broad incumbents

• IFT (Institute of Food Technologists): Large US-based scientific society for food science and technology. Operates a much wider portfolio than SISS but represents the same professional standards-setting function in North America, including sensory and consumer sciences divisions.
• ASTM Committee E18 on Sensory Evaluation: ASTM International's committee developing consensus standards for sensory evaluation methods. Comparable to SISS's UNI working group activity and its standardization role for the sensory profession, though at a global, cross-disciplinary level.
• IFST (Institute of Food Science & Technology): UK-based chartered professional body for food science and technology, an E3S member. Broader in scope than SISS (covering all of food science/technology), but overlaps on the sensory and consumer research sub-discipline.

Emerging players

• Sensometrics Society: International learned society focused on the quantitative and statistical dimensions of sensory science. Partial overlap with SISS's research-coordination role, but oriented toward methodological advancement rather than professional certification.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unifisensorylab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societ%C3%A0-italiana-di-scienze-sensoriali

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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