CHAMBRE DU COMMERCE DU GRAND-DUCHE DE LUXEMBOURG

Their core work

Luxembourg's national Chamber of Commerce operates as an innovation intermediary, helping SMEs access and navigate EU funding instruments under Horizon 2020. Through their recurring AISS4SME programme, they provide advisory services on innovation management, key account management, and guidance on specific H2020 funding schemes such as Fast Track to Innovation (FTI), Future Emerging Technologies (FET), and the EIC Pilot. Their role is not research but rather bridging the gap between SMEs and EU innovation funding opportunities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2018), the focus was narrowly centred on core SME innovation management capacity and key account management — essentially building the fundamentals of their advisory service. From 2019 onward, the scope broadened significantly to include specific H2020 instruments (Fast Track to Innovation, FET, EIC Pilot), suggesting they moved from general innovation support to targeted funding-scheme navigation. This evolution reflects a maturing advisory practice that became more granular and instrument-aware over time.

Moving toward deeper specialization in EU funding instruments, likely adapting their advisory for Horizon Europe's EIC Accelerator and similar schemes.

How they like to work

Exclusively a project coordinator — they led all four of their H2020 projects, never joining as a partner. Their network is minimal (2 unique partners from 1 country), suggesting they operate as a national service provider rather than a European consortium builder. Working with them means engaging a structured, domestically focused coordination body rather than a wide-reaching international network.

Very small network of just 2 consortium partners from a single country, reflecting a nationally oriented advisory mission rather than a broad European collaboration strategy.

What sets them apart

As Luxembourg's official Chamber of Commerce, they carry institutional weight and direct access to the national SME ecosystem that few other organizations can match. Their value lies not in research or technology development but in being a trusted public intermediary that helps companies — particularly SMEs — understand and access EU innovation funding. For consortium builders, they offer a gateway to the Luxembourg business community and a track record of sustained CSA coordination.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AISS4SME (2019)
  Broadest scope of all editions, covering FTI, FET, and EIC Pilot — marks the transition from generic to instrument-specific SME advisory.
• AISS4SME (2020-2021)
  Most recent edition, incorporating EIC Pilot guidance, indicating alignment with the EU's evolving SME innovation support landscape.