Nlzoh

What Nlzoh does

NLZOH (Nacionalni laboratorij za zdravje, okolje in hrano — National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food) is a Slovenian state-owned, non-profit national reference laboratory established by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia on July 25, 2013, with operations beginning in 2014 and institutional roots tracing back approximately 100 years to predecessor public health institutes. Headquartered in Maribor, the organization operates a network of 11 service locations across Slovenia (Ljubljana, Celje, Koper, Kranj, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo mesto, Brežice, and Slovenska Bistrica) and employs 501–1,000 staff.

The laboratory delivers comprehensive diagnostic and monitoring services across medical microbiology (bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, virology, molecular diagnostics via PCR and real-time PCR, serological testing via ELISA/ELFA/IIF/Western Blot), environmental testing (water, waste, soil, air and noise, environmental impact assessments), food safety analysis, pharmaceutical quality control, consumer product testing, aerobiological pollen monitoring, and psychoactive-substance testing. Core technology platforms include PCR/real-time PCR for pathogen detection, whole-genome sequencing for outbreak typing and molecular epidemiology, and serological assays. The lab functions as Slovenia's National Microbiology Focal Point within the ECDC framework, coordinates infectious disease surveillance with the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), and contributes national data to European public health databases.

NLZOH's revenue is derived from national health insurance reimbursement, direct contracts with government ministries (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment), payments from food industry and pharmaceutical clients (e.g., Mercator, Hofer, Lidl, Krka), self-pay individual testing, EU structural and framework research funding (EU-PARC, EU-JAMRAI 2, EU-WISH, EU-SLOSEQ), and Slovenian Research Agency (ARIS) grants. Sales motion is predominantly enterprise/direct-contract: long-term relationships with healthcare providers (UKC Ljubljana, UKC Maribor) and government ministries, supplemented by self-pay consumer diagnostic services at eight regional sites. The institution also maintains active research collaborations with the University of Maribor and participates in over 20 national and international scientific projects, with 100+ peer-reviewed publications from its researchers.

Name

Nlzoh

Legal name

Nacionalni laboratorij za zdravje, okolje in hrano (NLZOH)

Website

https://nlzoh.si

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

NLZOH is Slovenia's state-owned national reference laboratory, providing medical microbiology, food safety, water, environmental, pharmaceutical, and pollen testing through 11 locations. It serves government ministries, hospitals, food retailers, pharmaceutical firms, and individual consumers under a public-health mandate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Laboratory Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151), Medical Laboratories (621511), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAIAA

National Public Health Reference Laboratories

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Public Health Laboratories & Reference Testing Networks

SECONDARYHLAFAMAD

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Clinical Laboratories

SECONDARYAFALAAAA

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen)

SECONDARYAFALAAAE

Environmental Monitoring & Hygiene Verification (Swabs, ATP, Pathogen Monitoring)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen)

SECONDARYBPABAJAB

Water Sampling, Testing & Laboratory Analysis (Legionella/Microbiology)

Business & Public Services/Facilities Management & Building Services/Water Treatment & Building Water Hygiene (Legionella)

SECONDARYHLAGADAL

Environmental Monitoring & Cleanroom Testing (GMP)

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

Keywords

• Public health laboratory
• Medical microbiology testing
• Environmental monitoring services
• Food safety analysis
• Water quality testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Maribor

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Health Services: NLZOH is a government-established national laboratory operating as a public service institution, providing laboratory testing services funded through national health insurance, government contracts, and public health programs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

NLZOH operates a national network of accredited public health laboratories providing medical microbiology diagnostics (bacteriology, virology, mycology, parasitology, molecular and serological testing), environmental testing (water, air, noise, waste, soil, environmental impact assessments), food safety analysis, pharmaceutical quality control, pollen monitoring, consumer product testing, and psychoactive substance / anabolic steroid testing. The laboratory also discharges statutory public health functions including infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and reporting to national and ECDC databases, serving as Slovenia's National Microbiology Focal Point.

Product overview

NLZOH (Nacionalni laboratorij za zdravje, okolje in hrano) is a national public health laboratory network offering comprehensive laboratory testing and research services rather than a traditional product company. The organization operates across multiple service divisions: Medical Microbiology (with bacteriological, mycological, parasitological, molecular, and serological testing at 8 locations), Environmental Testing (covering water, food, air quality, waste/soil, and environmental monitoring), and Specialized Services (including pharmaceutical testing, pollen analysis, drug testing, and public health tasks). The services function as an integrated laboratory network with a shared quality system and research division. Key research areas include gut microbiota, Clostridioides difficile, whole genome sequencing, molecular epidemiology, and One Health approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Microbiology Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Active in over 20 national and international research projects including EU-PARC, EU-JAMRAI 2, EU-WISH, EU-SLOSEQ
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• EU-JAMRAI 2 (Joint Action Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023European joint action on antimicrobial resistance coordination, led by Helena Ribič.
• EU-WISH (Wastewater Integrated Surveillance for Public Health)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Wastewater-based epidemiology surveillance project for public health monitoring.
• EU-PARC (Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022European research partnership for chemical risk assessment, led by Dr. Mojca Durjava.
• University of MariborcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Collaboration with Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, and Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics for research and education. Joint doctoral programs and research projects.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNLZOH serves as the National Microbiology Focal Point for Slovenia, coordinating public health surveillance programs and contributing data to European infectious disease databases.
• INTERKORN d.o.o.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLASMA SEED TREATMENT project - consortium partner for innovative eco-friendly plasma seed treatment technology development.
• National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on infectious disease surveillance, epidemic response, and public health reporting between laboratories and epidemiology departments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI): Norwegian state public health institute with national reference laboratory for infectious disease diagnostics and epidemiology. Comparable to NLZOH in statutory role, multi-disciplinary scope, and ECDC-coordinated surveillance function.
• RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment): Dutch government institute combining public health, infectious disease, and environmental laboratory functions. Directly comparable to NLZOH as a multi-disciplinary national reference institution performing integrated health, environment, and food-safety testing under statutory mandate.
• UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency): UK government body responsible for public health protection and infectious disease reference laboratory functions. Comparable to NLZOH at greater scale as a state-established reference lab performing microbiology, surveillance, and outbreak response.
• Folkhälsomyndigheten: Swedish Public Health Agency operating national microbiology reference functions and surveillance. Comparable to NLZOH as a state public health laboratory authority with ECDC-coordinated infectious disease monitoring and reference testing roles.
• Sciensano: Belgian national public health institute combining animal and human health reference laboratory functions. Closely comparable to NLZOH as a state-established multi-disciplinary reference laboratory providing infectious disease surveillance, food safety, and environmental testing under a government mandate.
• Statens Serum Institut: Danish national reference laboratory for infectious disease and public health with statutory surveillance role. Directly comparable to NLZOH as a state-owned national public health lab operating microbiology diagnostics, vaccine-preventable disease surveillance, and epidemiological reference functions.
• Robert Koch Institute: Germany's federal public health reference institute coordinating infectious disease surveillance and epidemiology. Comparable as a larger-scale national reference body performing similar microbiology, molecular diagnostics, and ECDC-coordinated surveillance duties as NLZOH.
• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL): Finnish government research and public health institute with national laboratory functions. Comparable to NLZOH as a state reference institution performing infectious disease surveillance, environmental health, and population health laboratory services.

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: Global commercial laboratory testing leader with extensive food, environmental, pharmaceutical, and clinical diagnostics capabilities. Comparable to NLZOH in offering overlapping food, water, and environmental testing services but competing as a private multi-country operator rather than a national reference body.
• Synlab: Major European clinical and analytical diagnostics laboratory network operating across multiple countries. Comparable to NLZOH in clinical microbiology and analytical testing services but as a private commercial operator rather than a state reference laboratory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nacionalni-laboratorij-za-zdravje-okolje-in-hrano

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nlzoh