ELECTRONIC GERMAN LINK GMBH

Their core work

Electronic German Link GmbH is a German technology SME specialising in IT and electronic systems for logistics and freight transport operations. Based in Bad Oldesloe in the Hamburg logistics corridor, they contribute technical expertise to large-scale European research projects focused on digital infrastructure for supply chains. Their work centres on data connectivity, information exchange architectures, and the integration of electronic systems across logistics networks. They appear to serve as a specialist technology partner bridging operational logistics practice with ICT research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both of EGL's projects fall within a tight 2016–2021 window and both address logistics ICT, making it difficult to detect a pronounced shift in focus. That said, the move from SELIS (shared information space, data federation) to ICONET (reference ICT architecture for Physical Internet networks) suggests a progression from data-sharing platforms toward deeper infrastructure design and open-network architecture. If this trajectory continues, future work likely involves standards-based interoperability frameworks and next-generation logistics network protocols rather than single-platform data integration.

EGL appears to be moving toward the architectural and standards layer of digital logistics — positioning for Physical Internet, open freight networks, and cross-system interoperability rather than single-platform solutions.

How they like to work

EGL participates exclusively as a consortium partner and has never taken a coordinator role, suggesting they prefer to contribute focused technical expertise rather than manage large projects. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 53 unique partner relationships across 15 countries — an unusually wide network for their size, which points to participation in large, multi-partner RIA consortia. This makes them a well-connected specialist: they bring niche electronic and ICT capability and gain access to broad European networks in return.

With 53 unique consortium partners across 15 countries from just two projects, EGL has built a disproportionately wide European network for an SME of its size. Their partnerships span the breadth of the European logistics research community, reflecting the large multi-partner consortia typical of RIA projects like SELIS and ICONET.

What sets them apart

EGL occupies a rare niche as a private German technology SME embedded in academic-led EU logistics research consortia — a role more often filled by large industrial companies or research institutes. Their location in Bad Oldesloe, close to Hamburg's major freight hub, gives them operational grounding in one of Europe's busiest logistics corridors. For consortium builders, they offer a combination of SME agility, practical electronics and IT expertise, and an already-established track record with European transport research networks.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SELIS
  The largest of EGL's two projects (€465,000 EC contribution) and one of the flagship H2020 efforts to create a federated data-sharing infrastructure across European logistics — a foundational building block for the digital freight sector.
• ICONET
  Addressed the Physical Internet concept — one of the most ambitious long-term visions for restructuring global freight logistics — giving EGL exposure to cutting-edge open-network architecture research.