INTERINNOV SAS

Their core work

INTERINNOV is a French innovation consultancy specializing in the coordination, ecosystem development, and strategic roadmapping of European 5G and Next Generation Internet (NGI) initiatives. They organize communities, build cross-border partnerships, and produce policy-oriented analyses — acting as connective tissue between technology developers, policymakers, and industry adopters. Their work spans EU-China 5G dialogue, EU-US internet cooperation, and Startup Europe entrepreneurship support. With 8 of 10 projects being Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), their value lies in orchestrating ecosystems rather than developing technology directly.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

INTERINNOV began in 2014-2016 with a broad digital agenda — combining early 5G visioning (5-Alive, EURO 5G) with startup ecosystem work (WeHubs) and Future Internet/IoT roadmapping (EXCITING). From 2017 onward, the focus narrowed and deepened: 5G moved from strategic vision to infrastructure specifics (radio interfaces, fronthaul/backhaul architecture in To-Euro-5G), while a new thread emerged around Next Generation Internet and transatlantic digital policy (Think NEXUS, NGI Explorers). The startup ecosystem work dropped off entirely after 2016, replaced by more policy-oriented and internationally-scoped coordination.

INTERINNOV is moving from broad digital ecosystem facilitation toward specialized 5G deployment coordination and transatlantic internet governance — expect continued focus on post-5G network policy and EU digital sovereignty topics.

How they like to work

INTERINNOV is exclusively a consortium participant — never a coordinator across all 10 projects. With 60 unique partners across 17 countries, they operate as a well-connected node in large European consortia rather than leading them. Their repeated presence in 5G-PPP projects suggests they are a trusted ecosystem partner that brings coordination expertise and community management capabilities, making them easy to integrate into large multi-partner efforts.

Broad European network spanning 60 unique partners across 17 countries, built primarily through 5G-PPP and NGI programme communities. Their international coordination projects (EU-China, EU-US) extend their reach beyond Europe into global digital policy networks.

What sets them apart

INTERINNOV occupies a niche as a small French consultancy deeply embedded in the 5G-PPP coordination ecosystem — they have been involved from the earliest 5G visioning phase (2014) through deployment support (2021). Unlike technology developers, they specialize in community building, roadmapping, and international dialogue, making them valuable for projects that need dissemination, ecosystem management, or policy bridging between Europe and global partners. Their consistent presence across the full 5G-PPP timeline gives them institutional memory and network access that is hard to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 5G-MEDIA
  Largest single grant (€295K) and one of only two Innovation Actions, focused on edge-to-cloud virtualization for media — their most technically-oriented project.
• Think NEXUS
  EU-US internet cooperation think tank — demonstrates their role in high-level digital policy dialogue beyond the 5G-PPP community.
• EXCITING
  EU-China study on IoT and 5G — shows their ability to facilitate international technology diplomacy and cross-continental roadmapping.