IQ SAMHALLSBYGGNAD AB

Their core work

IQ Samhällsbyggnad AB ("IQ Urban Development" in Swedish) is a Stockholm-based private consultancy specialising in participatory urban development and co-creation processes within European research frameworks. Their H2020 work has been exclusively within JPI Urban Europe — the Joint Programming Initiative that coordinates national research programs on sustainable cities — where they contribute to broadening the geographic and institutional reach of joint urban research. They design and facilitate processes that bring underrepresented EU member states and non-academic actors into collaborative research programs, effectively building the governance capacity needed for inclusive transdisciplinary work. Their value is not in producing research findings, but in making European research collaboration actually function across national and sectoral boundaries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IQS's H2020 footprint covers only two closely related projects — EXPAND (2016–2019) and its direct sequel EXPAND II (2019–2022) — both under the same JPI Urban Europe umbrella with identical keywords. There is no meaningful shift in thematic focus between the two periods; the organisation sustained the same co-creation and widening participation agenda throughout. The only detectable evolution is a modest refinement in framing: EXPAND II explicitly adds "capacity building" to the widening participation objective, suggesting the second phase moved from establishing participation frameworks to institutionalising them among partner countries.

IQS appears committed to long-term engagement within JPI Urban Europe governance structures; if they continue beyond H2020, expect them to pursue Horizon Europe projects in urban research coordination or sustainable city policy, rather than shifting to technical research.

How they like to work

IQS has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as consortium member, consistent with a specialist contributor role rather than a project coordinator. Their 22 unique partners across 15 countries within just two projects indicates they operate in medium-to-large international consortia, likely alongside municipal authorities, research institutes, and national funding agencies typical of JPI Urban Europe networks. This pattern suggests they are brought in for their process expertise rather than their technical infrastructure, making them a reliable niche partner in governance-oriented projects.

IQS has built connections with 22 unique consortium partners across 15 countries through just two projects, which is a notably broad network for a small private firm — reflecting the wide geographic scope required by JPI Urban Europe's widening participation mandate. Their network is almost certainly concentrated in Northern and Central European urban research and policy circles.

What sets them apart

As a private company (not a university or public agency) working on research governance and participation processes, IQS occupies an unusual niche: they bring practitioner and process-design credibility to what is typically an academic or policy-body role. Their name — "Samhällsbyggnad" means community and urban development in Swedish — signals deep roots in Swedish urban planning practice, which gives them legitimacy with both municipal and research audiences. For a consortium building a project that needs to engage cities, planners, or underrepresented national partners in collaborative research, IQS offers facilitation expertise that most research partners cannot provide internally.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EXPAND
  The founding project of IQS's EU engagement, establishing the co-creation and widening participation methodology for JPI Urban Europe that was directly continued in a second funded phase.
• EXPAND II
  A direct Phase II continuation of EXPAND, demonstrating that the consortium's work was considered valuable enough to receive renewed EC funding for institutionalising capacity building across JPI Urban Europe member states.