KINNO INNOVATION INTERMEDIARIES LTD

Their core work

KINNO is a Greek innovation consultancy that helps organizations — especially SMEs — adopt and professionalize open innovation practices. They design toolboxes, platforms, and training modules that make open innovation accessible to companies that lack in-house R&D capacity. More recently, they have expanded into supporting international research partnerships, particularly between the EU and the African Union, in the areas of renewable energy and food security.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

KINNO started in 2016 with a strong focus on open innovation professionalization — building toolboxes, web platforms, and training modules to help SMEs engage with open innovation (INSPIRE). By 2018, their work shifted toward international research diplomacy, supporting the setup of long-term EU-African Union research partnerships in renewable energy and food security. This evolution suggests a move from hands-on innovation consulting toward higher-level coordination and partnership brokering across continents.

KINNO is moving from domestic innovation consulting toward international research partnership facilitation, particularly along the EU-Africa axis — a growing priority in EU funding programmes.

How they like to work

KINNO operates exclusively as a participant, never as a coordinator, which is typical for a small consultancy contributing specific expertise to larger consortia. With 55 unique partners across 27 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large, internationally diverse consortia. This pattern suggests they are a flexible support partner comfortable in complex multi-country setups rather than a project driver.

Despite only 3 projects, KINNO has built a remarkably wide network of 55 partners across 27 countries — reflecting the large-scale CSA consortia they participate in. Their reach extends well beyond Europe into Africa through the EU-AU partnership projects.

What sets them apart

KINNO sits at an unusual intersection: they combine hands-on open innovation consulting (toolboxes, platforms, training) with experience in international research diplomacy between the EU and Africa. For consortium builders, this means a partner who understands both the practical mechanics of helping SMEs innovate and the political landscape of intercontinental research cooperation. Their Greek base and wide network make them a useful bridge partner for projects needing Southern European and African reach.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INSPIRE
  Their largest project (EUR 189,625) and core identity — built a complete open innovation professionalization toolkit for SMEs including web platform, management modules, and success stories.
• LEAP4FNSSA
  A long-running CSA (2018-2022) supporting EU-AU food and nutrition security partnership, showing KINNO's pivot toward international research policy facilitation.