TII ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE POUR LE TRANSFERT DES TECHNOLOGIES ASBL

Their core work

TII is a Luxembourg-based European association dedicated to technology transfer and innovation support, operating as a practitioner network rather than a research body. In H2020, they contributed expertise in coaching and mentoring SMEs through commercialization processes — specifically as part of the community supporting the SME Instrument program. Their more recent work focused on professionalizing open innovation practices, developing structured training modules, toolboxes, and web platforms that help innovation managers and SMEs adopt open innovation methods systematically. They act as a knowledge broker: connecting practitioners, documenting success stories, and building the professional infrastructure that makes technology transfer more repeatable.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2014–2016), TII was squarely in the business of human-centred support — coaching coaches, building peer learning networks, and helping SMEs navigate commercialisation through mentoring and empowerment. The focus was relational: community, knowledge sharing, monitoring progress. By their second project (2016–2019), the emphasis shifted from the human layer to the methodological layer: structured open innovation modules, replicable toolboxes, documented success stories, and a web platform to scale these practices beyond any single community. The trajectory is clear — from practitioner coaching to building the professional infrastructure and tools that formalize open innovation as a discipline.

TII is moving from delivering coaching directly to building scalable open innovation systems — toolboxes, modules, and platforms — suggesting future collaborations would likely involve methodology design, training curriculum development, or SME-facing digital tools rather than hands-on mentoring delivery.

How they like to work

TII has participated in both H2020 projects as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as a specialist contributor bringing practitioner networks and methodology expertise rather than leading technical work. Their two projects involved a combined 15 unique partners across 11 countries, suggesting they are comfortable in mid-sized European consortia. There is no evidence of repeated partner loyalty — they appear to join projects where their technology transfer community adds value, rather than anchoring a fixed consortium group.

TII has worked with 15 unique consortium partners spanning 11 countries, a broad geographic spread for just two projects — suggesting they bring an established pan-European network to any partnership. No single country cluster is evident, reflecting their role as a European-level association rather than a nationally anchored institution.

What sets them apart

TII occupies a niche that few organizations fill: a practitioner-run European association focused specifically on making technology transfer and open innovation more professional and systematic, rather than conducting research about it. Unlike universities or consultancies, they bring an active membership community of technology transfer professionals, which gives them legitimate reach into the networks that CSA projects need to demonstrate impact. For consortium builders working on SME support, open innovation, or commercialisation of research results, TII offers credibility with the practitioner community that academic partners cannot replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INSPIRE
  The largest of TII's two projects (€182,877), INSPIRE is notable for its ambition to professionalize open innovation at a European level through structured modules, documented best practices, and a purpose-built web platform — a clear step beyond community management into scalable infrastructure.
• CoachCom2020
  CoachCom2020 positioned TII inside the formal H2020 SME Instrument support ecosystem, establishing their credentials as a recognized actor in EU-backed SME commercialisation coaching.