What VDI / VDE Innovation + Technik does

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH is a German private GmbH headquartered in Berlin that operates as an officially delegated project management agency (belehener Projektträger) for publicly funded research and innovation programmes. Founded in 1978, the firm sits at the intersection of government, academia, and industry, managing the full lifecycle of German federal and state innovation funding — from calls for proposals and application assessment through disbursement, project monitoring, evaluation, and audit. Its client base is overwhelmingly public-sector: German federal ministries (notably BMBF, BMWE, and the BMDS), the Senatsverwaltung Berlin, the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, the Ministerium für Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg, the Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, and the European Commission. Beyond German ministries, the firm supports research institutions, SMEs, and regional clusters.

The company's service portfolio is organized around four core capabilities — Analyse (strategy, foresight, evaluation), Förderung (funding programme administration and disbursement), Organisation (event, conference, and stakeholder-network coordination), and Projektträgerschaft (full-scope project management) — supported by two ancillary assets: the MI.AA Wissensmanagement knowledge-management platform used to coordinate internal collaboration across research and innovation projects, and PT-Lab, an applied research laboratory that studies how funding programmes are designed and evaluated. Thematic coverage spans microelectronics and HPC, communications (5G/6G/Open RAN via the InnoNT programme), AI, IT-security, health and eHealth, mobility (electromobility, automated driving, Smart City), energy and hydrogen, Mittelstand support, education, and regional cluster development. The firm holds ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental), and ISO 27001 (information security) certifications.

The commercial model is professional services delivered through long-cycle government mandates, with revenue generated as overhead/management-fee on public funding programmes rather than via SaaS or product sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Delivery is anchored by seven physical offices across Germany (Berlin HQ plus Munich, Dresden, Stuttgart, Bonn, Hannover, Erfurt) and a permanent bench of more than 1,000 interdisciplinary experts. The firm is institutionally affiliated with VDI GmbH and the VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik, two of Germany's largest technical-scientific associations, which provide reputational and network backing without disclosed controlling ownership. Executive management consists of Managing Directors Peter Dortans and Christine Weiß, with Adrian Willig as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

Name

VDI / VDE Innovation + Technik

Legal name

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH

Website

https://vdivde-it.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH is a German Projektträger headquartered in Berlin that administers public innovation funding programmes on behalf of German federal and state ministries and the European Commission, supported by more than 1,000 experts across seven German offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Research Funding Management

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

Keywords

• Research funding management
• Innovation policy consulting
• Project management agency
• Technology assessment services
• Public sector consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Management Services for Government: VDI/VDE-IT serves as a project management agency (Projektträger) for government ministries, providing services including project selection, preparation and execution of approvals, disbursement and verification of funding. They accompany research projects throughout their duration and conduct all necessary funding-related audits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH operates as an officially authorised project management organisation (beleihener Projektträger) that administers publicly funded research and innovation programmes on behalf of German federal and state ministries and the European Commission. Its core service portfolio covers the full project lifecycle: application assessment and project selection, funding approval and disbursement, monitoring and auditing, strategic analysis and innovation policy consulting, and stakeholder event and network organisation. The firm is associated with VDI GmbH and VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V. and serves as a neutral intermediary between politics, science, and industry.

Product overview

VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH is a project management organization and innovation services provider operating as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company delivers core services including Projektträgerschaft (project management/trusteeship for publicly funded projects), Analysieren (analysis and consulting), Fördern (funding administration), and Organisieren (event and network organization). These services are supported by MI.AA Wissensmanagement (knowledge management platform) and PT-Lab (research laboratory). The portfolio spans multiple thematic areas including electronics, microelectronics, communication technologies, AI, cybersecurity, health technology, mobility, and industrial policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Projektträgerschaft (Project Management Services)
• Analysieren (Analysis Services)
• Fördern (Funding Services)
• Organisieren (Organization Services)
• MI.AA Wissensmanagement
• PT-Lab (Der forschende Projektträger)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully manages multiple major federal funding programmes including InnoNT, ZIM, EXIST, and European initiatives
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Microsoft Deutschland GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Microsoft Deutschland GmbH co-organized the Smart Factory Roadshow with VDI/VDE-IT, showcasing Industry 4.0 solutions from leading production and automation technology companies across Germany.
• TÜV Rheinland Forschungs- und InnovationsmanagementcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVDI/VDE-IT partners with TÜV Rheinland for the implementation of the InnoNT (Innovative Netztechnologien) funding programme. TÜV Rheinland handles specific implementation tasks alongside VDI/VDE-IT's project träger services.
• Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) / ITAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Horizon-Scanning services for the German Bundestag's Office for Technology Assessment (TAB). VDI/VDE-IT supports the TAB in identifying emerging scientific and technological trends.
• VDI GmbH and VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik e.V.coreOthersVDI/VDE-IT is associated with VDI GmbH and VDE Verband, two major German technical and scientific organizations that provide institutional backing and professional networks.
• Bosch, Infineon, NXPminorOthersAs part of the Saxon microelectronics ecosystem, VDI/VDE-IT engages with major semiconductor companies (Bosch, Infineon, NXP) through project träger services and cluster support.
• TSMC / ESMCminorOthersVDI/VDE-IT supports the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) ecosystem development in Dresden through project träger services for microelectronics funding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DLR Projektträger: DLR Projektträger is the German Aerospace Center's project management agency and is the most direct competitor to VDI/VDE-IT, administering federal R&D funding programs for ministries like BMBF and BMWE under the same Projektträger model.
• TÜV Rheinland Forschungs- und Innovationsmanagement: TÜV Rheinland is an explicit partner of VDI/VDE-IT on the InnoNT funding programme and provides directly comparable project management and innovation administration services for German federal ministries.
• Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen (SPRIND): SPRIND is a federal innovation agency that funds and manages breakthrough ('sprung') innovation programs, operating adjacent to VDI/VDE-IT in the federal R&D administration ecosystem.
• Steinbeis-Stiftung: Steinbeis is a German technology and innovation management network providing project-based consulting and R&D services, with substantial overlap in technology transfer and innovation program administration.

Broad incumbents

• VDI GmbH: VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure) is one of VDI/VDE-IT's affiliated societies and a broader technical-scientific association with 100,000+ members. It provides institutional backing and overlapping expertise in engineering and innovation policy.
• VDE Verband der Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik: VDE is the other affiliated society of VDI/VDE-IT and one of Europe's largest technical-scientific associations in electrical and information technology. It provides complementary networks and standards expertise relevant to VDI/VDE-IT's microelectronics and ICT program work.
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Fraunhofer is Germany's largest applied research organization and a key actor in administering and executing publicly funded R&D programs. While broader in scope, it competes with VDI/VDE-IT for federal program mandates and innovation management contracts.

Regional players

• Euresearch: Euresearch is the Swiss national network supporting participation in EU research programs (e.g., Horizon Europe), serving a comparable function to VDI/VDE-IT's EU programme work but in a different national jurisdiction.

Others

• VDI nachrichten / VDI Verlag: VDI Verlag publishes VDI nachrichten and technical media for engineers, and is part of the broader VDI ecosystem. It is an adjacent/ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
• Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung (DZHW): DZHW provides research-based services and analyses on higher education and science systems in Germany, overlapping with VDI/VDE-IT's Wissenschaft und Bildung and evaluation/monitoring capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC40HM7tdVA7ea7j9xZpDYag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vdi-vde-innovation-technik-gmbh
• Xx.com/VDIVDE_IT

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VDI / VDE Innovation + Technik