4 projects
All four H2020 projects (InnoMan_NRW_2 through Innovation.NRW) center on enhancing SME innovation management capacity.
Organization
NRW.INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Enterprise Europe Network partner delivering SME innovation management and EU programme support services in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Innovation consultancysocietyDESMENo active H2020 projectsThin data (2/5)
H2020 projects
4
As coordinator
0
Total EC funding
—
Unique partners
2
What they do
Their core work
NRW.International is an SME support agency based in Düsseldorf that operates as part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) in North Rhine-Westphalia. They deliver two core services to SMEs: Key Account Management (KAM) for companies participating in the EU SME Instrument, and Enhanced Innovation Management Capacity (EIMC) consulting for SMEs with European growth potential. Their work focuses on helping small companies in Germany's largest industrial region navigate EU innovation programs and improve their innovation processes.
Core expertise
What they specialise in
Key Account Management for EU SME Instrumentprimary
4 projects
KAM services for SME-instrument participants appear consistently across all project descriptions from 2015 to 2021.
4 projects
All projects operate under the NRW.Europa EEN consortium, delivering regional EEN services in North Rhine-Westphalia with partner ZENIT.
Evolution & trajectory
How they've shifted over time
Early focus
SME innovation consultancy services
Recent focus
Hub-spoke innovation network model
In the early period (2015-2018), the organization focused squarely on two named service lines — KAM for SME-instrument participants and innovation management for promising SMEs — described in straightforward terms. By 2019-2021, the language and structure shifted toward a more formalized hub-and-spoke delivery model with emphasis on client journey design, impact measurement, and network coordination under the NRW.Europa brand. The evolution suggests a maturing from basic consultancy delivery to a more structured regional innovation support ecosystem.
Moving from individual SME consulting toward operating as a structured regional hub coordinating innovation support across NRW, suggesting growing capacity for larger-scale intermediary roles.
Collaboration profile
How they like to work
Role: active_partnerReach: regional1 countries collaborated
NRW.International operates exclusively as a participant, never as a coordinator, across all four projects. Their network is remarkably narrow — just 2 unique consortium partners in 1 country — indicating a tight, recurring partnership (likely with ZENIT as the lead EEN partner in NRW). This is not a broad networker but a reliable, specialized delivery partner within a stable regional consortium.
Extremely focused network with only 2 consortium partners, all within Germany. This reflects their role as a regional EEN delivery node operating within a fixed NRW.Europa consortium rather than building diverse international partnerships.
Why partner with them
What sets them apart
NRW.International offers deep regional knowledge of the SME landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most industrialized state with over 700,000 SMEs. Their value lies not in technical research but in their ability to connect EU innovation programs with local businesses — they are a bridge between EU funding mechanisms and German Mittelstand companies. For consortium builders, they are useful when a project needs SME outreach and innovation support services in western Germany.
Notable projects
Highlights from their portfolio
- Innovation.NRWMost recent iteration (2020-2021) introducing a formalized hub-and-spoke model and client journey approach to regional SME innovation support.
- InnoMan_NRW_2First project in the series (2015-2016) establishing the dual KAM/EIMC service model that has been refined across all subsequent projects.
Cross-sector capabilities
SME business development and growth supportEnergy sector SME innovation (tagged in 3 of 4 projects)EU funding navigation and programme advisoryRegional innovation ecosystem coordination
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