BADEN-WURTTEMBERG INTERNATIONAL-GESF INTERNATIONALE WIRTSCHAFTL. WISSEN SCHAFTL. ZUSAMMENARB. MBH

Their core work

Baden-Württemberg International (bw-i) is the official agency for international economic and scientific cooperation of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, based in Stuttgart. Their core function is helping SMEs in the region access innovation support, technology transfer, and international business opportunities through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). All four of their H2020 projects (BW-KAM series) focus on building innovation management capacity for Baden-Württemberg SMEs, bridging the gap between regional businesses and European research and technology markets.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The organization's focus has remained remarkably stable across the entire 2015-2021 period, with all projects centered on innovation management for SMEs. However, the project titles reveal a subtle shift: the earlier BW-KAM 2 and 3 emphasize "capacity building" and "feeding the innovation pipeline," while BW-KAM 4 and 5 pivot toward "targeting innovation for European markets" — suggesting a move from internal capacity development to outward-facing market deployment. The energy sector tagging also becomes consistent from BW-KAM 3 onward, indicating a growing sectoral specialization.

bw-i is shifting from building internal SME innovation capacity toward actively targeting European markets for Baden-Württemberg innovations, particularly in the energy sector.

How they like to work

bw-i operates exclusively as a participant, never as a coordinator, across all four projects — consistent with their role as a regional EEN node within a larger German or European consortium. With only 10 unique partners all within a single country (Germany), they maintain a tight, stable network of recurring domestic collaborators rather than building broad international consortia. This reflects an organization focused on regional delivery rather than consortium leadership — reliable and embedded, but not a project driver.

bw-i works with a compact network of 10 consortium partners, all based in Germany. This reflects their role as a regional EEN node collaborating with fellow German EEN partners rather than building cross-border consortia.

What sets them apart

bw-i offers direct access to the Baden-Württemberg industrial ecosystem — one of Europe's strongest manufacturing and engineering regions, home to companies like Bosch, Daimler, and a dense SME landscape. As the state's official international cooperation agency operating within the Enterprise Europe Network, they serve as a gateway for anyone wanting to reach or collaborate with innovative SMEs in southwestern Germany. Their consistent EEN track record from 2015 to 2021 demonstrates institutional reliability and deep regional knowledge.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BW-KAM 5
  The most recent iteration (2020-2021) represents the culmination of six years of EEN innovation management work, explicitly targeting European-scale impact from Baden-Württemberg.
• BW-KAM3
  Marks the pivot toward energy sector focus and the 'innovation pipeline' framing, signaling a more structured approach to channeling regional innovations into European markets.