IMP'ROVE - EUROPEAN INNOVATION MANAGEMENT ACADEMY EWIV

Their core work

IMP'rove Academy is a Germany-based European network organization that develops and operates innovation management assessment and benchmarking tools for SMEs and innovation support intermediaries. They build standardized frameworks to measure how well companies manage innovation, then train Enterprise Europe Network partners and other intermediaries to use these tools. Their core business is helping SMEs across Europe improve their innovation capacity through structured assessment, benchmarking databases, and skill development programs — essentially turning innovation management from guesswork into a measurable, improvable discipline.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2014 to 2018, IMP'rove Academy focused heavily on building and standardizing innovation management assessment tools — creating benchmarking methodologies, training programs, and qualification profiles for innovation consultants. From 2019 onward, they shifted toward applying these tools within specific ecosystems: Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), advanced manufacturing transformation (I4MS), and the Enterprise Europe Network. The evolution shows a move from building the methodology to deploying it at scale through established European intermediary networks.

Moving from generic innovation assessment toward sector-specific SME transformation support, particularly in advanced manufacturing and digital ecosystems — expect future work connecting DIHs with manufacturing SMEs.

How they like to work

IMP'rove Academy operates as both a project leader and an active contributor, coordinating their two largest projects (EUR 2.3M and EUR 2.2M each) while joining three others as a specialist partner. With 84 unique consortium partners across 31 countries, they function as a hub organization — connecting diverse intermediary networks rather than working with a fixed set of repeat partners. This broad reach makes them an effective gateway to the European innovation support ecosystem, particularly the Enterprise Europe Network.

Extensive pan-European network spanning 84 unique partners across 31 countries, reflecting their role as a connector of innovation support intermediaries. Their reach covers nearly all EU member states, consistent with their mission to standardize innovation management assessment across Europe.

What sets them apart

IMP'rove Academy occupies a rare niche: they don't do research or build products — they build the tools and standards that measure and improve how other organizations manage innovation. Their benchmarking database and assessment methodology have become reference frameworks used by Enterprise Europe Network partners across Europe. For consortium builders, they bring a ready-made network of trained innovation intermediaries and a proven assessment infrastructure that can be deployed in any sector or region.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IMP3rove for Future
  Their flagship project (EUR 2.3M, coordinator) — built and maintained the core innovation management assessment tools used across Europe's innovation support ecosystem.
• EEENIMAC
  EUR 2.2M coordinator role training Enterprise Europe Network partners in innovation management assessment — shows direct pipeline into Europe's largest SME support network.
• DIH-World
  Marks their strategic pivot toward Digital Innovation Hubs and Industry 4.0, connecting their assessment expertise with the EU's digital transformation infrastructure.