CONFINDUSTRIA EMILIA-ROMAGNA

Their core work

Confindustria Emilia-Romagna is the regional branch of Italy's main employers' federation, representing manufacturing and industrial companies in the Emilia-Romagna region. In H2020, they delivered Key Account Management (KAM) and innovation coaching services to SMEs, helping small companies access EU funding instruments like the SME Instrument and Fast Track to Innovation. Their role is essentially a bridge between EU innovation programmes and the regional business fabric, providing hands-on support to companies navigating the EU funding landscape.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their focus has been remarkably consistent across 2015-2021, centred on KAM and SME coaching throughout. The main shift is a broadening of scope: early projects (2015-2018) focused tightly on SME Instrument coaching and technology transfer, while later projects (2019-2021) expanded to cover FET-Open and Fast Track to Innovation instruments. This suggests growing capability to advise SMEs across a wider range of EU funding mechanisms, not just the SME Instrument.

They are expanding from narrow SME Instrument coaching toward advising companies on the full spectrum of EU innovation funding, which positions them well for Horizon Europe advisory roles.

How they like to work

Confindustria Emilia-Romagna participates exclusively as a partner — never as coordinator — which is typical for regional industry associations that contribute local business networks and SME access rather than project management. They worked with 12 partners across all four projects, but notably within only one country (Italy), suggesting a domestically focused consortium model. Their value to a consortium is access to the Emilia-Romagna industrial base rather than cross-border reach.

Their network spans 12 unique partners but is confined to a single country (Italy), reflecting their role as a regional industry body. Their consortia are likely built around Italian business support organisations and regional development actors.

What sets them apart

As a major regional employers' federation, they provide direct access to the dense industrial fabric of Emilia-Romagna — one of Europe's most productive manufacturing regions, home to automotive, packaging, ceramics, and food processing clusters. Unlike a consultancy, they have institutional relationships with thousands of member companies, making them a gateway for any project needing to reach Italian SMEs. For consortium builders, they offer ready-made dissemination and exploitation channels into real industry.

Highlights from their portfolio

• KAMINLER (2020-2021)
  The final and largest phase (EUR 103,250) represents the most mature iteration of their SME innovation support model.
• KAMINLER (2015-2016)
  The inaugural phase that established the KAM and technology transfer service model later replicated across three subsequent funding periods.