NOVA TELECOMMUNICATIONS & MEDIA SINGLE MEMBER SA

Their core work

NOVA is a major Greek telecommunications and media company that brings real-world telecom infrastructure and broadcast expertise to EU research projects. They contribute 5G network deployment capabilities, media streaming platforms, and large-scale user validation environments. Their core value in consortia is serving as the industry testbed — they provide the commercial-grade networks and media distribution channels where research prototypes get validated with real users and real traffic.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

NOVA entered H2020 in 2019 focused on 5G infrastructure validation and data economy platforms (5G-SOLUTIONS, TRUSTS), acting as a telecom operator providing testbed environments. By 2021, their focus shifted decisively toward 5G application ecosystems — particularly media NetApps, edge computing, and experimentation facilities for third-party developers. They also expanded into security (counter-terrorism) and climate adaptation, suggesting a deliberate strategy to position their telecom infrastructure as a horizontal enabler across multiple domains.

NOVA is evolving from a passive 5G testbed provider toward an active platform host for third-party application developers, especially in media and public safety — expect them to seek projects where telecom infrastructure meets vertical industry needs.

How they like to work

NOVA operates exclusively as a participant or third party — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for large telecom operators who contribute infrastructure rather than drive research agendas. With 121 unique partners across 23 countries, they work in large consortia and maintain a broad, non-exclusive network. This makes them easy to integrate into new consortia: they are experienced partners who understand their role and don't compete for project leadership.

With 121 unique consortium partners across 23 countries, NOVA has built a wide European network concentrated in ICT and 5G research circles. Their reach spans most EU member states, reflecting the large consortia typical of 5G-PPP and security programme projects.

What sets them apart

NOVA brings something most research partners cannot: a live, commercial-grade telecommunications network where prototypes can be tested at scale with real subscribers. This makes them invaluable for any project that needs to move beyond lab simulations into field trials. Their combination of telecom infrastructure with media distribution capabilities is particularly rare — few partners can offer both the network and the content delivery pipeline in one organization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CounteR
  Largest single grant (EUR 506,250) and their most significant security project, applying privacy-first AI to counter-terrorism and radicalization prediction.
• 5GMediaHUB
  Best represents their strategic direction — building a 5G experimentation facility specifically for third-party media service developers and NetApps.
• TRUSTS
  Their only pure data economy project, addressing secure cross-border data sharing with AI/ML — shows capacity beyond telecom infrastructure.