Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF)

What Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF) does

Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF), founded in 1957 and headquartered in Madrid, is the national scientific society representing specialists in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Medicina Física y Rehabilitación) in Spain. The society aggregates more than 1,800 physician specialists and serves as the recognized institutional voice of the specialty in interactions with Spanish healthcare authorities, MIR training program oversight, and European bodies such as the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM) and the European Board of PRM.

SERMEF's core offerings span scientific publishing, continuing medical education, research funding, and member services. The society publishes Revista REHABILITACIÓN and is launching Reh-Actualización, positioned as the first comprehensive online clinical reference in Spanish for the specialty. It runs a structured catalog of branded training programs — ORTOSERMEF (orthotics), OSEOSERMEF (osteoporosis-related rehabilitation), and ECOSERMEF (musculoskeletal ultrasound) — alongside its annual National Congress, which in its 63rd edition drew roughly 1,000 attendees to A Coruña in May 2025. The society also administers research grants including the Becas SERMEF program and the IPSEN-SERMEF neurorehabilitation grants, and it launched the SERMEF_IA program with an AI scholarship and a curated AI tools catalog to support AI literacy among clinicians. Membership benefits include subscriptions to the society's journals and platforms, training subsidies (including European Board examination subsidies), and access to working groups on pediatric rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, biomechanics, and other sub-specialties.

SERMEF's revenue model is that of a non-profit professional society: annual membership dues paid by individual specialists, registration and sponsorship income from the annual congress and training courses, subscription and advertising income from the journal and forthcoming Reh-Actualización platform, and corporate-sponsored research grants. The society maintains 21 employees and operates additional public-health initiatives such as the Zambullidas spinal cord injury prevention campaign in partnership with Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos.

Name

Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF)

Legal name

SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE REHABILITACIÓN Y MEDICINA FÍSICA

Website

https://sermef.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF) is a Madrid-based, non-profit national scientific society, founded in 1957, representing more than 1,800 Spanish specialist physicians in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation through journals, training, grants, and an annual congress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: SERMEF generates revenue primarily through membership subscriptions (cuotas). The society offers different membership categories including Miembro numerario (full member), Miembro Asociado (M.I.R./resident), Miembro honorífico (honorary), and Miembro afín (affiliated), with different professional situations (Propiedad, Interino, Temporal, Sector Privado, Otros) and positions (Jefe de Servicio, Jefe de Sección, Facultativo).
2. Training courses and education: Revenue from formation programs including ORTOSERMEF (orthopedics training), OSEOSERMEF (bone training), ECOSERMEF (ecosystem training), university titles, European Board, and other specialized courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SERMEF is a non-profit medical professional society that represents and serves Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists in Spain. It delivers membership-based services including continuing medical education, online training platforms (Reh-Actualización), specialized training courses (ORTOSERMEF, OSEOSERMEF, ECOSERMEF), patient exercise resources (Ejercicios SERMEF), research grants (Becas SERMEF, SERMEF_IA), an annual national congress, and the peer-reviewed scientific journal Revista REHABILITACIÓN.

Product overview

SERMEF is a professional medical society rather than a commercial product company. Its service portfolio consists of scientific publications (Revista REHABILITACIÓN), educational platforms (Reh-Actualización online training and consultation platform), specialized training programs (ORTOSERMEF, OSEOSERMEF, ECOSERMEF), patient resources (Ejercicios SERMEF exercise platform), research grant programs (Becas SERMEF, SERMEF_IA for AI innovation), and congress organization. These offerings support medical professionals in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation through education, research funding, and professional development rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reh-Actualización Online educational platform and comprehensive clinical reference work for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists, structured in training modules with theoretical and practical content including anatomical images, clinical photographs, and tables for study and consultation.
• Revista REHABILITACIÓN Peer-reviewed official scientific journal of SERMEF covering topics in rehabilitation medicine and physical rehabilitation, published via Elsevier with submission guidelines and reviewer recruitment.
• ORTOSERMEF Specialized training program within SERMEF focused on orthotics in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
• OSEOSERMEF Specialized training program within SERMEF focused on bone-related rehabilitation.
• ECOSERMEF Specialized training program within SERMEF focused on pelvic floor rehabilitation.
• Ejercicios SERMEF Online platform providing therapeutic exercises for patients in physical medicine and rehabilitation, serving as a patient education and exercise prescription resource.
• Becas SERMEF (IPSEN-SERMEF Research Grants) Research grants and scholarships program supporting neurorehabilitation research projects for SERMEF members, co-funded with IPSEN Pharma since 2021, with annual calls through 2026.
• SERMEF_IA AI strategy and generative AI innovation program within SERMEF, offering annual scholarships for AI-driven rehabilitation projects in clinical management areas, with 4 annual AI scholarships granted.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.38 million people in Spain need Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation services (approx. 10% of the population)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Fundación 'Sigo Adelante'majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SERMEF collaborates with the Fundación 'Sigo Adelante' humanitarian project at Hospital de Atar in Mauritania, providing medical attention to patients with severe pathologies including burns, amputations, tumors, scarring, lymphedema, and children with cerebral palsy. The project, authorized by the Mauritanian Ministry of Health, includes direct medical care and local professional training.
• Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos (Servicio de Salud de Castilla-La Mancha)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, a national reference center for spinal cord injuries, collaborates annually with SERMEF on the Zambullidas (diving safety) public health campaign, raising awareness about the risk of spinal cord injuries from reckless diving. This partnership involves annual joint messaging during the summer season and data sharing on diving-related injuries.
• Federación Nacional ASPAYM (Federación de Asociaciones de Lesionados Medulares y Grandes Discapacitados Físicos)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ASPAYM partners annually with SERMEF on the Zambullidas public health campaign to prevent spinal cord injuries from unsafe diving. The federation represents individuals with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities, and contributes to campaign messaging emphasizing prevention, information, and caution for swimmers.
• Cruz Roja EspañolamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cruz Roja Española participates in the annual Zambullidas campaign with SERMEF and partner organizations, contributing to the dissemination of water safety messages and prevention awareness across Spain.
• Real Federación Española de Salvamento y SocorrismomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Royal Spanish Lifesaving and Rescue Federation collaborates with SERMEF in the annual Zambullidas summer safety campaign, leveraging its expertise in water safety to amplify prevention messages about spinal cord injuries from improper diving.
• IPSEN PharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021IPSEN Pharma has partnered with SERMEF since 2021 to co-fund the IPSEN-SERMEF Research Grants for Neurorehabilitation Projects. The collaboration has supported annual grant calls (2021 through 2026, V convocatoria) to advance research capabilities among Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists in Spain. The grants aim to build critical research mass in the specialty and support early-career researchers.
• SOREFON (Sociedad de Rehabilitación Foniátrica)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOREFON is a monographic subsidiary (filial monográfica) of SERMEF dedicated to phoniatric rehabilitation. It operates under the SERMEF umbrella, with its president and members participating in SERMEF initiatives. SOREFON contributes expertise in dysphagia, voice disorders, and speech rehabilitation, and operates the Ejercicios SERMEF platform component.
• Colegio de Fisioterapeutas de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe College of Physiotherapists of Barcelona co-funded a SERMEF-sponsored study on exercise and muscular dystrophy, conducted by physicians from Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, investigating the functional outcomes of supervised exercise in adults with muscular dystrophy.
• ElseviercoreTechnology or IntegrationElsevier publishes the official SERMEF scientific journal 'Revista REHABILITACIÓN' and hosts its submission guidelines at elsevier.es/es-revista-rehabilitacion-120. This partnership ensures the society's peer-reviewed publication reaches the international medical community.
• European Society of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERMEF maintains a close relationship with the European Society of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Sara Laxe García, president of the Scientific Committee of the 63rd SERMEF Congress, is the incoming president of ESPRM, demonstrating strong institutional linkage and international collaboration in the specialty.
• UEMS-PRM (European Union of Medical Specialists – Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSERMEF participates in the European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine through UEMS-PRM. The society offers training subsidies for 4 resident positions to attend the European PRM School in Marseille (UEMS-PRM), titled 'Motor disabilities: Posture and movement analysis rehabilitation, neurophysiology'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Physikalische und Rehabilitative Medizin (DGPMR): German national PMR society providing CME, congress, and clinical guideline functions. Comparable to SERMEF as a large European specialty society operating in a different national health system with similar member, training, and research activities.
• Société Française de Médecine Physique et de Réadaptation (SOFMER): French national PMR society providing CME, congresses, training, and clinical guidelines. Directly comparable specialist society with similar member categories, journal, and research-grant mechanisms — a close structural mirror of SERMEF in a neighboring market.
• American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R): The largest national physician specialty society for PMR in the US (~10,000+ members). Directly comparable to SERMEF in mission and operating model — membership dues, annual assembly, peer-reviewed journal, board certification, AI/digital tool deployment, and advocacy before public authorities.
• British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (BSRM): The UK national specialty society for rehabilitation medicine. Comparable scope to SERMEF in member services, scientific meetings, training pathways, and advocacy functions — a structurally direct counterpart in a different national healthcare system.
• Società Italiana di Medicina Fisica e Riabilitativa (SIMFER): Italian national PMR scientific society running educational programs, a peer-reviewed journal, annual congress, and subspecialty working groups. Operationally and structurally analogous to SERMEF as a Southern European specialty society.
• European Society of Physical & Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM): Continental European society of national PMR societies, including SERMEF. Directly comparable in structure and offerings (European congress, training standards, clinical guidelines, research coordination) and ties directly to SERMEF through institutional leadership overlap.
• UEMS-PRM (Section of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, UEMS): The European board and standards body for PMR specialty training and certification. Comparable to SERMEF's role in administering the European Board pathway for Spanish residents and in shaping cross-border specialty qualifications.

Broad incumbents

• International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM): Global umbrella PMR organization of which SERMEF is a member society. Broader scope than a national society but covers overlapping governance, international congress, and research coordination activities analogous to SERMEF's national-level work.

Others

• Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN): One of Spain's largest medical specialty societies (primary care). Comparable to SERMEF as a national nonprofit scientific association operating member congresses, training programs, and regional branches — relevant for benchmarking society operating models, not for clinical overlap.
• Sociedad Española de Cirugía Plástica, Reparadora y Estética (SECPRE): A sister Spanish medical specialty society. Structurally analogous to SERMEF as a nonprofit scientific medical society in Spain with a peer-reviewed journal, annual congress, regional subsidiaries, and training programs — useful as a structural benchmark even though clinical scope differs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sermef_es
• Facebookfacebook.com/sermef.es
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sermef
• Instagraminstagram.com/sermef_rhb

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sociedad Española de Rehabilitación y Medicina Física (SERMEF)