Innovation ecosystem building and acceleration programsprimary
3 projects
All three projects (SCHIP, Coral, EiA) involve creating platforms, hubs, or collaborative spaces that foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
Organization
IMPACT HUB GMBH
Global coworking and accelerator network supporting social entrepreneurs, with expertise in rural innovation ecosystems and EU-Africa cooperation.
NGO / AssociationsocietyATSMEThin data (2/5)
H2020 projects
3
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
€1.4M
Unique partners
28
What they do
Their core work
Impact Hub is a global network operator of collaborative workspaces, accelerators, and incubators that support social entrepreneurs and innovators. Based in Vienna, they provide physical spaces, community programs, and business development services designed to help startups and SMEs grow and scale. In EU projects, they contribute expertise in building innovation ecosystems, running acceleration programs, and facilitating cross-border entrepreneurship — particularly bridging European and African innovation communities.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Collaborative workspace design for rural and peripheral areassecondary
1 project
The Coral project specifically investigates the impact of coworking and creative hubs in EU rural and peripheral regions.
EU-Africa innovation cooperation and soft-landing servicesemerging
1 project
The EiA project builds a multi-sided platform for EU-African innovation cooperation, including accelerator, incubator, and soft-landing services.
Social innovation and community-driven platformssecondary
1 project
SCHIP focused on social challenges through an innovation platform, aligning with Impact Hub's core mission of social entrepreneurship support.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
Social innovation platforms
Recent focus
Cross-border innovation ecosystems
Impact Hub's H2020 journey began in 2016 with a broad focus on social innovation platforms (SCHIP), then evolved significantly in 2021 toward two distinct directions: researching the role of collaborative workspaces in underserved EU regions (Coral) and building structured EU-Africa innovation bridges (EiA). The shift shows a move from general social innovation toward geographically targeted ecosystem development — both within EU peripheries and internationally toward Sub-Saharan Africa.
Impact Hub is expanding from urban coworking into rural innovation ecosystems and international (EU-Africa) entrepreneurship support, making them a strong partner for projects addressing geographic innovation gaps.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: active_partnerReach: Global16 countries collaborated
Impact Hub operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, suggesting they contribute specialized community-building and ecosystem expertise rather than driving research agendas. With 28 unique partners across 16 countries from just 3 projects, they work in relatively large, internationally diverse consortia. Their wide geographic spread and network-organization nature make them a connector — useful for projects needing reach into entrepreneurship communities across multiple countries.
Despite only 3 projects, Impact Hub has collaborated with 28 unique partners across 16 countries, reflecting their global network DNA. Their partnerships span well beyond Western Europe, with particular reach into African innovation ecosystems through the EiA project.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
Impact Hub brings something most research organizations cannot: direct access to a global network of 100+ coworking and innovation spaces with active entrepreneur communities. They are not a research institute or consultancy — they are an infrastructure operator with boots-on-the-ground presence in cities worldwide. For consortium builders, this means real channels to test, disseminate, and scale project outcomes through living innovation ecosystems rather than theoretical frameworks.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- EiALargest funding (EUR 789K) and most ambitious scope — building a multi-sided platform connecting European and African innovators with accelerator and soft-landing services.
- CoralAn MSCA research project investigating coworking spaces in rural EU areas — unusual for a workspace operator to participate in academic research on their own sector.
Cross-sector capabilities
Innovation & SME support and business creationRural development and territorial cohesionInternational development and EU-Africa cooperationSocial entrepreneurship and community building
More in society
See all society organizations →UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Venice-based research university excelling in digital humanities, cultural heritage, climate adaptation, and nanomaterials risk — a major Marie Curie fellowship host.
Open →
ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM
Leading Dutch research university specializing in health economics, social policy, development studies, and the governance of AI and migration.
Open →
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
Europe's premier social science university, producing world-class research in economics, political behaviour, public policy, and the social dimensions of climate, health, and security.
Open →