SMITH INNOVATION APS

Their core work

SMITH INNOVATION APS is a Copenhagen-based innovation consultancy that brings structured business intelligence to EU research consortia. Their demonstrated work spans market research, business modelling, SWOT and gap analysis, foresight exercises, and stakeholder consultation — the toolkit research teams need to understand whether their outputs have a viable path to market. In the MARCO project they applied this directly to climate services, helping map the emerging market for climate data products and advisory services. They serve as the commercial realism layer in scientific consortia, translating research ambitions into market-ready narratives and go-to-market assessments.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both of Smith Innovation's H2020 projects fall within a compressed 2015–2018 window, making a longitudinal evolution analysis difficult. The first engagement, InnoChain, left no keyword record, suggesting a supporting industry-partner role rather than a methodological lead; the second, MARCO, produced a dense keyword trail — market research, business modelling, gap analysis, foresight — anchored squarely in climate services commercialisation. The direction of travel appears to be from broad innovation network participation toward more specialised market intelligence delivery for environmental and climate-tech research projects, though only two data points support this reading.

Their trajectory points toward becoming a specialist market intelligence provider for climate and environmental research consortia that need credible commercialisation assessments baked into their project deliverables.

How they like to work

Smith Innovation has never coordinated an H2020 project — they join consortia to deliver a defined analytical contribution rather than to lead. Their two projects placed them inside large networks (31 distinct partners across 10 countries), consistent with the profile of a boutique consultancy that is recruited for a specific work package rather than driving the overall research agenda. This makes them a low-friction partner to onboard: they arrive with a clear mandate, execute market research or business analysis tasks, and do not compete with research-led partners for scientific credit.

Despite only two projects, Smith Innovation has touched 31 unique consortium partners spanning 10 European countries, reflecting the large multi-partner structures typical of MSCA training networks and climate RIA consortia. No single dominant geographic cluster is visible from available data.

What sets them apart

In a Danish innovation landscape dominated by university spin-outs and engineering firms, Smith Innovation occupies a narrower niche: a private SME that sells structured market analysis services to scientific consortia, not to industry clients directly. Their combination of foresight methodology and quantitative market research applied specifically to climate services is uncommon among H2020 participants. For a consortium building a climate or environmental project that needs a credible exploitation and market analysis work package, they offer a ready-made, tested capability without the overhead of a large consulting firm.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MARCO
  Their only funded project and clearest showcase of capability — a pan-European market research effort for climate services that demonstrates the full range of their analytical toolkit, from SWOT and gap analysis to business modelling and foresight.
• InnoChain
  Participation as an unpaid industry partner in a prestigious MSCA doctoral training network signals that academic consortia value their real-world innovation perspective, even when no direct EC funding flows to them.