FRANKFURT SCHOOL OF FINANCE & MANAGEMENT GEMEINNUTZIGE GMBH

Their core work

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management is a leading German business school specializing in finance, blockchain economics, and sustainable energy investment. In EU projects, they bring financial expertise to technology adoption challenges — evaluating investment metrics for renewable energy, designing blockchain adoption strategies for SMEs, and supporting cities in financing their net-zero transitions. Their core contribution is bridging the gap between emerging technologies and the financial frameworks needed to deploy them at scale.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Frankfurt School began its H2020 involvement (2015-2018) focused on energy finance — developing investment metrics and financing models for photovoltaics and sustainable energy. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward blockchain and digital technologies for SMEs, with two concurrent projects on distributed ledger adoption. Their most recent project (NetZeroCities, 2021-2025) signals a pivot toward urban sustainability and social innovation, potentially combining their finance and technology expertise in climate-oriented work.

Moving from pure financial analysis toward technology-enabled sustainability transitions in cities, combining their finance, digital, and climate expertise.

How they like to work

Frankfurt School primarily joins consortia as a participant (4 of 5 projects), contributing specialized financial and economic analysis rather than leading technical development. They coordinated one project (BLOCKPOOL), their largest by funding, suggesting they can lead when the topic aligns closely with their core strengths. With 66 unique partners across 18 countries, they operate as a well-connected but selective partner — a knowledge contributor rather than a project factory.

Broad European network spanning 66 partners across 18 countries, built through a mix of energy, digital innovation, and urban sustainability consortia. Their reach is wide for an institution with only five H2020 projects, reflecting participation in large CSA-type coordination actions.

What sets them apart

Frankfurt School brings something rare to EU consortia: rigorous financial and economic analysis applied to technology adoption. While many partners contribute technical R&D, Frankfurt School answers the question "how do you finance and scale this?" — whether for solar panels, blockchain platforms, or urban decarbonization. Their business school DNA means they think in terms of investment cases, market barriers, and SME realities rather than purely technical feasibility.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BLOCKPOOL
  Their only coordinated project and largest funding (EUR 888K), focused on pooling SME blockchain adoption across clusters and networks.
• NetZeroCities
  Their most recent and longest-running project (2021-2025), positioning them in the high-profile EU Mission on climate-neutral cities.
• SEI Metrics
  Directly tied to their institutional strength — developing standardized sustainable energy investment benchmarks for the finance sector.