WAVESTONE LUXEMBOURG SA

Their core work

Wavestone (formerly Kurt Salmon) is a major European management and technology consulting firm that provides business strategy, market analysis, innovation management, and exploitation planning to EU research consortia. In H2020 projects, they typically handle tasks like market assessment, business model development, dissemination strategy, and technology transfer roadmaps rather than performing core R&D. Their involvement spans a remarkably wide range of sectors — from advanced materials and batteries to digital twins and healthcare procurement — reflecting their generalist consulting DNA applied to deep-tech innovation projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2017), Wavestone focused heavily on advanced materials and manufacturing — critical raw materials recovery (scandium, REE from bauxite residue), surface engineering, and injection moulding processes. From 2018-2019, their portfolio diversified significantly into digital technologies (AI platforms, digital twins, IoT), energy storage (next-generation Li-ion batteries), and even cultural heritage preservation. This broadening reflects a consulting firm following where EU funding priorities shifted, rather than deepening a single technical specialization.

Wavestone is moving toward digital and energy storage advisory, suggesting future collaborations will likely center on Industry 4.0, AI adoption strategy, and green energy business cases.

How they like to work

Wavestone never coordinates — they join as a partner or third party, consistently taking a supporting advisory role rather than leading technical work. With 278 unique partners across 27 countries, they operate as a high-connectivity node with almost no repeat partnerships, joining a new consortium for each project. This makes them easy to bring into any consortium as a non-competing, sector-neutral partner focused on exploitation and market readiness tasks.

Exceptionally broad network of 278 unique partners across 27 countries, reflecting their role as a consulting firm that joins diverse consortia without building long-term technical alliances. Their Luxembourg base and pan-European consulting operations give them access to partners across virtually all EU member states.

What sets them apart

Wavestone fills the business strategy gap that most research consortia struggle with: turning lab results into market-ready propositions. Unlike technical partners, they bring management consulting firepower — market sizing, business model design, exploitation roadmaps — from a firm with 3,000+ consultants across Europe. For consortium builders, they are a low-risk addition that strengthens exploitation and dissemination work packages without competing for technical leadership.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPICY
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 214,688) for Wavestone, focused on next-generation Li-ion battery architectures — their highest-value advisory engagement.
• SCALE
  EUR 177,500 in a strategic critical raw materials project producing scandium from industrial waste, running 5 years (2016-2021) — their longest and most substantial involvement.
• IoTwins
  Signals their pivot to digital — a distributed digital twins platform for industrial SMEs combining edge computing, Industry 4.0, and predictive maintenance.