Corona Immunitas

What Corona Immunitas does

Corona Immunitas is a Swiss nationwide COVID-19 research program founded in April 2020 and operated by the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), a non-profit foundation. Its functional purpose is to measure and track SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and related health outcomes across the Swiss population through standardized serological testing and longitudinal cohort studies. The program encompasses 40 individual studies conducted across 14 Swiss universities and health organizations, covering all major cantons.

The core technical asset is a standardized Luminex trimeric S-target antibody test developed in collaboration with the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), EPFL, and the Swiss Vaccine Center. This assay enables cross-site comparability across the program's 40 studies and underpins the testing of more than 50,000 participants, generating one of the most uniform national seroprevalence datasets in Europe. Digital follow-up via an eCohort extends the program beyond in-person blood draws. Governance and academic direction are provided by Prof. Milo Puhan, Dr. Anja Frei, Dr. Sandra Nocera, and Prof. Jan Fehr, with methodology validated through an international expert review led by Prof. Marcel Tanner.

The business model is non-commercial. Participation is free of charge, and there is no product pricing or revenue stream. Operations are financed through philanthropic donations and grants — including a CHF 2 million anchor donation from health insurer CSS, alongside contributions from Helsana, economiesuisse, Takeda, Viiv Healthcare, and the Ernst Göhner Foundation — and through institutional partnerships with the Federal Office of Public Health, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, CHUV, and EPFL. As a publicly-funded research consortium rather than a commercial entity, Corona Immunitas is not structured for, nor pursuing, revenue generation or M&A optionality.

Name

Corona Immunitas

Legal name

Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)

Website

https://corona-immunitas.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Corona Immunitas is a Swiss nationwide, non-profit COVID-19 research program operated by SSPH+ that runs 40 seroprevalence and cohort studies across 14 universities, testing 50,000+ participants using a standardized Luminex antibody assay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance & Coverage Monitoring (HLAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immunization Program Evaluation & Coverage Assessment (HLAJANAH), Vaccine Policy, Advisory Committees & Program Governance (HLAJAHAJ), Syndromic & Event-Based Surveillance (HLAJANAC), Immunization & Vaccine Delivery Programs (BPADAIAB)

Keywords

• Population health research
• Seroprevalence surveillance
• Antibody testing services
• Cohort study research
• Public health studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Corona Immunitas is a nationwide Swiss research program that investigates the spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through standardized serological antibody testing and longitudinal cohort studies. It coordinates 40 individual studies across 14 Swiss universities and health organizations, testing the blood of more than 50,000 voluntary participants for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The program provides policymakers and public health authorities with reliable, population-representative immunity data to inform evidence-based decisions on protective measures.

Product overview

Corona Immunitas is a nationwide Swiss research program organized by the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+) that coordinates 40 individual studies across 14 Swiss universities and health organizations. The core offering consists of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing services involving over 50,000 voluntary participants, supported by a Digital Follow-up eCohort for longitudinal monitoring. The program encompasses multiple sub-studies including SEROCoV-POP (Geneva population study), Ciao Corona (Zurich school children study), COVCO Basel, SURPRISE (hospital workers), SPECCHIO-COVID 19 (Geneva longitudinal), Corona Immunitas Ticino, and SérocoViD (Vaud studies), all using standardized serological testing methodologies to track pandemic spread and immunity across Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corona Immunitas Research Program
• SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing Service

Quantifiable outcome

• National seroprevalence data informing Swiss COVID-19 policy decisions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2020SSPH+ is the umbrella organization coordinating Corona Immunitas. As an inter-university faculty, SSPH+ unites 12 Swiss universities and universities of applied sciences, enabling rapid and coordinated public health research response. The organization is headquartered at Hirschengraben 82, CH-8001 Zurich.
• University of BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading university partner conducting COVCO Basel study on antibody prevalence and COVID-19 impact in the Basel region.
• University of ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner leading Corona Immunitas Zurich, Ciao Corona school study, and Zurich Coronavirus Cohort study. Home to Prof. Milo Puhan who leads the program.
• University of GenevacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading SEROCoV-POP and SPECCHIO-COVID19 studies in Geneva, generating landmark population-based seroprevalence data published in The Lancet.
• University of Lausanne (UNIL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner conducting SérocoViD studies covering Vaud canton population, including studies on various occupational groups and household contacts.
• University of BerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducting Corona Immunitas Bern study covering all five regions of the canton with over 1000 participants recruited between phases III and IV.
• University of FribourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Corona Immunitas Fribourg study and conducting Nestlé employee study, with multiple published reports on population immunity.
• Swiss TPH (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner contributing to antibody prevalence studies and COVID-19 impact research in Basel region.
• USI University of Italian SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Corona Immunitas Ticino study investigating spread and immunity in the Italian-speaking canton of Switzerland.
• SUPSI (University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on Ticino studies including COV-RISK studies on nursing home staff and residents.
• University of LucernecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducting Corona Immunitas Lucerne study in collaboration with Lucerne Cantonal Hospital (LUKS), testing over 1000 participants.
• Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner receiving study results for informing national COVID-19 policy decisions. Corona Immunitas provides data to support FOPH decisions on protective measures.
• Swiss Federal Statistical OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides random sampling of Swiss residents for study participant recruitment, ensuring representative population coverage.
• FrontiersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen-access publisher that facilitated the international expert review process for Corona Immunitas through its network of global experts.
• CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois)coreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped the Luminex trimeric S-target antibody test used as the common test across Corona Immunitas studies, in collaboration with EPFL and Swiss Vaccine Center. This academic test showed superior accuracy compared to commercial tests.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner in development of the Luminex antibody test technology, contributing to the superior signal detection and accuracy that made it the chosen common test for Corona Immunitas.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH): Core institutional partner within the Corona Immunitas network, contributing to antibody prevalence and COVID-19 impact research in the Basel region. Directly comparable as a Swiss public health research organization with overlapping scientific staff and study participation.
• REACT Study (Imperial College London): UK-wide large-scale SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and prevalence study using random community sampling and antibody testing. Directly comparable in methodology (random sampling, longitudinal design, antibody testing) and mission (informing national pandemic policy), though operating in the UK rather than Switzerland.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Koch Institute (RKI): Germany's federal public health institute conducting national SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance (e.g., CORONA-MONITORING lokal) and informing federal pandemic policy. Comparable in mission and policy integration, with broader scope across all infectious diseases rather than a single COVID-focused program.
• Santé Publique France: France's national public health agency running population-based SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies (e.g., EpiCoV, SAPRIS, SeroPRIM). Directly comparable in mandate and methodology, with a broader portfolio beyond COVID-19.
• Sciensano: Belgium's national public health institute coordinating national COVID-19 seroprevalence surveys and informing Belgian federal health policy. Comparable as a national-scale public health research program, though Sciensano is a permanent government agency rather than a COVID-specific research consortium.
• RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment): Netherlands' national public health institute running the PIENTER Corona seroprevalence study with random population sampling. Directly comparable methodology and policy integration; broader mandate across infectious disease and environmental health.
• ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control): EU agency coordinating seroprevalence surveillance across member states. Corona Immunitas contributes Switzerland-relevant data that overlaps with ECDC's harmonized European serosurveillance framework.

Others

• WHO Unity Studies: WHO's global seroepidemiological investigation protocol for SARS-CoV-2 that standardizes national COVID-19 seroprevalence studies across countries. Corona Immunitas operates in alignment with this protocol, making it a Switzerland-level implementation rather than a direct competitor.
• CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois): Co-developer (with EPFL and Swiss Vaccine Center) of the Luminex trimeric S antibody assay that is Corona Immunitas's standard test. Direct technology partner providing the core scientific differentiator rather than a competing program.
• University of Zurich (UZH): Lead academic institution for Corona Immunitas — hosts the program's principal investigator (Prof. Milo Puhan) and runs the Zurich, Ciao Corona, and Zurich Coronavirus Cohort studies. Partner and institutional enabler rather than a competitor, with deep operational integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CoronaImmunitas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6esmpftoDxewev-1pT4ARg
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/corona-immunitas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Corona Immunitas