INDUSTRIE UND HANDELSKAMMER REUTLINGEN

Their core work

IHK Reutlingen is a Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, serving as a regional node in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). Their core function is helping local SMEs access innovation support, technology transfer opportunities, and cross-border business partnerships. Within H2020, they consistently participate in the BW-KAM consortium, which channels EU innovation services to the Baden-Württemberg SME ecosystem — one of Germany's strongest manufacturing and engineering regions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their focus has been remarkably stable. From 2015 through 2021, every project centers on innovation management for SMEs through the Enterprise Europe Network. The later projects (BW-KAM 4 and 5) carry an explicit European scope in their titles — "Targeting Innovation from Baden-Württemberg for Europe" — suggesting a shift from purely local capacity building toward connecting regional SMEs with European markets and partners.

IHK Reutlingen is deepening its role as a gateway connecting Baden-Württemberg SMEs to European innovation opportunities, particularly in the energy sector.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as a regional EEN partner within the larger Baden-Württemberg consortium. They work with a stable set of approximately 10 partners, all within a single country (Germany), indicating a tightly knit regional network rather than a broad European consortium. Working with them means engaging a well-connected local intermediary, not a research performer.

Their network of 10 unique partners is concentrated entirely within Germany, likely comprising the other EEN Baden-Württemberg consortium members (other IHKs, Steinbeis, and regional agencies). This is a tight domestic network built on repeated collaboration across successive EEN funding periods.

What sets them apart

IHK Reutlingen offers direct access to the SME landscape of the Reutlingen-Tübingen region, which is home to strong manufacturing and engineering companies. As a Chamber of Commerce, they maintain formal relationships with thousands of local businesses — a reach that university or research institute partners typically lack. For any consortium needing SME engagement, dissemination, or technology uptake validation in southern Germany, they are a natural partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BW-KAM 5
  Most recent EEN project (2020-2021), representing their latest iteration of SME innovation services with explicit European market targeting.
• BW-KAM2
  Their entry point into H2020 (2015), establishing IHK Reutlingen as a consistent EEN Baden-Württemberg partner across the entire programme period.