NEXUS INSTITUT FUR KOOPERATIONS MANAGEMENT UND INTERDISZIPLINARE FORSCHUNG GMBH

Their core work

Nexus Institut is a Berlin-based research and consulting SME specialising in cooperation management, participatory processes, and the social dimensions of digital innovation. In practice, they design and evaluate tools and methods that help young people engage in civic and political life through digital and mobile channels. They also work at the boundary of ICT research and social science, advising on how technology development can be made more responsible, inclusive, and accountable to society. Their core value is translating social science knowledge into actionable frameworks for digital projects and research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 work (2015–2018), Nexus Institut was focused on practical, ground-level digital engagement — specifically how mobile and online tools can get young people involved in democratic and civic participation. By 2017–2021, the emphasis shifted upstream toward the governance and ethics of ICT research itself, working on how the research and innovation ecosystem can become more responsible and socially inclusive. The trajectory moves from applying digital tools for participation to shaping the normative frameworks under which digital research is conducted — a shift from practitioner to policy-level thinking.

Nexus Institut appears to be moving toward roles in research governance, RRI policy, and the ethical dimensions of digital society — making them a relevant partner for projects that need a social science voice in ICT or digital rights contexts.

How they like to work

Nexus Institut has taken both a leadership role (coordinator on EUth) and a contributing partner role (participant on HubIT), suggesting they are comfortable in either position depending on the project's needs. Their 22 unique partners across 15 countries in just two projects indicates they work in genuinely broad, diverse consortia rather than relying on a fixed network. This points to an organisation that brings connective value — bridging social science, civil society, and digital research communities within large collaborative frameworks.

Despite only two H2020 projects, Nexus Institut has built connections with 22 unique partners spread across 15 countries, which is a notably wide reach for an SME of this size. Their network is European in scope and likely spans universities, civil society organisations, and ICT research institutions.

What sets them apart

Nexus Institut occupies an uncommon niche: a private SME that combines cooperation management expertise with applied social science research, specifically in the context of digital participation and research ethics. Unlike university social science departments, they operate as a flexible, project-driven consultancy that can take on coordinator responsibilities and manage cross-national consortia. For a consortium builder looking for a social science or RRI partner that can also handle organisational coordination — rather than just producing academic deliverables — Nexus Institut offers a rare combination of analytical and managerial capability.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EUth
  Their largest project by budget (EUR 391,950) and their only coordinator role, demonstrating capacity to lead a multi-country consortium on digital youth participation tools and methods.
• HubIT
  Marks their pivot toward the broader RRI agenda, connecting social sciences and humanities to the governance of ICT research across Europe.