History

Sanquin was established in 1998 through a merger between the Dutch blood banks and the Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (CLB). On the basis of the Blood Supply Act, Sanquin is the only organization in the Netherlands authorized to manage our need for blood and blood products. 

The name Sanquin

The name Sanquin is a reference to the literal meaning of the word blood in French (sang) and Latin (sanguis). The correct pronunciation of Sanquin is 'Sankwien'.

Sanquin's logo

Sanquin’s logo, a stylised pelican with a drop of blood on its chest, refers to the legend of the Dalmatian pelican. This pelican is said to have fed her starving young with her own blood. Just as the mother pelican so selflessly saved the lives of her offspring, so do generous donations of blood save the lives of patients.

Sanquin also has an online logo. It has fewer wings and is scalable, making us more visible on digital platforms. As a result of the scalability, the blood drop is no longer visible in the online logo. That does not mean that we’ve said farewell to the blood drop and the history that goes with it. The merciful actions of the pelican fit seamlessly with the DNA of Sanquin.