EFPC ( UK ) LTD

Their core work

EFPC is a UK-based innovation consultancy specialising in EU research and innovation support infrastructure — specifically, the networks that help organisations navigate and participate in EU-funded ICT programmes. Their work spans coordinating National Contact Point (NCP) networks for ICT funding, and integrating Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) perspectives into technology research to make it more responsible and socially grounded. Both of their H2020 engagements were Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), meaning they operate as facilitators and policy-facing advisors rather than technology developers. They bring value at the intersection of EU funding know-how, ICT policy, and responsible innovation governance.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earliest H2020 work (2015–2018), EFPC was embedded in the operational layer of EU ICT funding — coordinating the Idealist NCP network that supports applicants and manages calls under the LEIT ICT programme. By 2017, their focus shifted toward the normative and societal dimensions of ICT research, joining HubIT to advocate for responsible innovation and SSH integration within technology-driven projects. This is a meaningful trajectory: from procedural EU funding support toward the ethics and social impact of how ICT research is designed and conducted — a shift that mirrors broader EU policy priorities under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

EFPC appears to be moving from administrative EU funding support toward substantive responsible innovation consulting, positioning them well for Horizon Europe's increased emphasis on RRI, ethics, and societal impact requirements.

How they like to work

EFPC has never led an H2020 project — both engagements were as a participant within large, multi-country consortia typical of CSA actions. With 47 unique partners across 33 countries from just two projects, they clearly operate comfortably in broad pan-European networks rather than small bilateral arrangements. This suggests they are valued as a specialist contributor who can navigate complex multi-stakeholder environments and bring policy or advisory expertise that complements technical partners.

Despite only two projects, EFPC has built a remarkably wide network — 47 consortium partners across 33 countries, which is unusually broad for a two-project portfolio and reflects the inherently pan-European composition of CSA consortia. Their network is predominantly European, spanning the EU member states and associated countries common to H2020 ICT support actions.

What sets them apart

EFPC occupies a rare dual niche: they understand both the procedural machinery of EU ICT funding (through NCP network work) and the normative policy debates around responsible innovation and SSH integration. Few SMEs combine hands-on EU programme support experience with the capacity to advise on ethics, inclusiveness, and interdisciplinary research design. For a consortium needing someone who can connect ICT technology development with EU policy compliance and societal impact framing, EFPC offers a profile that is hard to replicate with purely technical partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HubIT
  The larger of the two projects by funding (EUR 244,375) and the longer-running (2017–2021), HubIT placed EFPC at the forefront of the EU's push to make ICT research socially responsible — a priority that has only grown in relevance under Horizon Europe.
• Idealist2018
  Membership in the Idealist NCP network — a well-established EU coordination structure — demonstrates EFPC's credibility within the ICT funding ecosystem and their ability to operate in formal transnational coordination roles.