USHARESOFT

Their core work

USHARESOFT is a French software SME based in Grenoble that specializes in platforms connecting software developers with end users — from open source application marketplaces to organized beta-testing campaign infrastructure. They build and operate the operational machinery that helps software products, including research-stage tools, reach real users at scale. Their two H2020 projects reveal a consistent focus on the "last mile" of software adoption: getting digital tools discovered, tested, and validated in real market conditions. They work within EU-funded support actions, meaning their contribution is practical platform delivery rather than basic research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (2015–2016), USHARESOFT contributed to AppHub, a marketplace for open source software distribution — a passive discovery and access layer. By 2019–2021, their focus had shifted to ReachOut, a platform for running active, structured beta-testing campaigns specifically for research projects, which requires coordinating real user pools and measuring engagement. The direction is clear: from building shelves for software to actively getting users onto that software and generating feedback loops useful for commercialization.

USHARESOFT is moving deeper into active user engagement and validation services — a capability increasingly valued as EU-funded projects face pressure to demonstrate real-world uptake of their software outputs.

How they like to work

USHARESOFT has never led an H2020 project — all participations are as a partner. With only 2 unique consortium partners across 2 projects, they operate in very small teams, suggesting they are brought in as a focused platform specialist rather than a broad consortium builder. This pattern fits a small software firm that delivers a defined technical component — a running platform, a tested campaign infrastructure — and steps back from project governance.

USHARESOFT has worked with just 2 unique consortium partners across 2 countries, one of the smallest network footprints possible in H2020. Their European reach is real but narrow, and they show no sign of deliberately cultivating a broad partner network.

What sets them apart

USHARESOFT sits at an uncommon intersection: a software SME with direct, hands-on experience running both an open source distribution platform (AppHub) and a structured beta-testing campaign service for research projects (ReachOut). Few SMEs can point to concrete operational experience in both the discovery and the validation layers of research software commercialization. For a consortium that needs someone to actually run the user-facing software infrastructure — not just advise on it — they bring a specific and practical track record.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AppHub
  Largest budget project at EUR 226,459, contributing to the first European-wide open source software marketplace and establishing USHARESOFT's platform infrastructure credentials.
• ReachOut
  Directly addresses the research-to-market gap by providing beta-testing campaign infrastructure for research project software, making it highly relevant to technology transfer consortia.