Godin Institute

What Godin Institute does

Institut Godin is a French non-profit research institute headquartered in Amiens, Hauts-de-France, that operates at the intersection of social sciences research and practical support for social and solidarity economy (ESS) actors. Founded in the late 2000s, the institute has accumulated more than 15 years of research-action expertise and is staffed by a small multi-disciplinary team of researchers, including doctoral candidates and PhDs producing peer-reviewed publications, theses, and communications. The institute holds the CRT (Centre de Recherche et de Transfert) label, recognizing excellence in territorial research and transfer.

The institute's core offering is a portfolio of seven proprietary methodological frameworks, including the Capteurs d'Innovation Sociale, Marqueurs d'Innovation Sociale, Démarche Living Lab, Marqueurs Living Lab, Matrice Méthodologique, PTCE Recurrence Analysis, and a bespoke Régies Social Utility Evaluation Method. These qualitative, human-expert frameworks support the assessment, qualification, and accompaniment of social innovation projects, territorial collective dynamics, and Living Lab implementations. The institute serves four primary segments: project initiators (ESS structures, social innovation project leaders), public institutions (ministries, regional and departmental authorities), accompaniment actors (incubators, DLA structures), and other associations, foundations, and cooperatives requiring research-action analysis.

Institut Godin's business model is built on negotiated public conventions with institutional partners, with services largely funded by public authorities rather than direct customer payments. Distribution is single-country and direct-institutional, with no commercial sales channel; dissemination occurs through institutional participation, scientific publications, downloadable methodological resources, conferences, juries, and an active LinkedIn presence. Strategic partnerships span Mouvement des Régies, FONJEP, IFMA, WeLL/Smart Gastronomy Lab, DRARI Hauts-de-France, CNRS, Université Lyon 3, and Incubateur Katalyze, anchoring the institute within both the French ESS policy ecosystem and select international Living Lab networks.

Name

Godin Institute

Legal name

Institut Godin

Website

https://institutgodin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Institut Godin is a French non-profit research institute in Amiens that develops proprietary social-innovation assessment and territorial-dynamics methodologies, serving ESS project initiators, accompaniment structures, and public institutions through research-action and public institutional conventions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Sciences Research and Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education Governance & Quality Policy Research (EDADADAI), Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Social innovation research
• Social sciences consulting
• ESS evaluation methods
• Territorial dynamics analysis
• Social utility assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Amiens

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Institutional public funding: Services are largely integrated into negotiated public conventions with institutional partners, with costs covered by public authorities rather than end customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Institut Godin is a French research-action institute that develops and applies social sciences methodologies and proprietary evaluation frameworks to support social innovation projects. It serves project initiators, ESS (Économie Sociale et Solidaire) structures, and public institutions through research-action approaches, Living Lab methodologies, and a suite of analytical tools covering social innovation qualification, territorial dynamics analysis, and social utility evaluation.

Product overview

The Godin Institute offers a portfolio of methodological tools and evaluation frameworks for social innovation, positioned at the intersection of social science research and support for public interest actors. The core offering consists of analytical and evaluation tools: the Démarche Living Lab provides a flexible decision-support framework integrating end users; the Capteurs d'Innovation Sociale (Social Innovation Sensors) offers a structured assessment framework based on 15+ years of research; the Marqueurs d'Innovation Sociale and Marqueurs Living Lab provide graduated qualitative evaluation markers; the Matrice Méthodologique supports collective territorial dynamics initiation; and specialized methods address PTCE analysis and Régies social utility evaluation. These tools serve project leaders, ESS structures, and public institutions through research-action approaches and Living Lab methodologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Démarche Living Lab A flexible methodological framework for decision support that integrates end users at the core of projects, allowing confrontation of projects with the reality of uses, audiences, and stakeholders. Designed for project initiators, accompaniment structures, and public institutions engaged in social innovation.
• Capteurs d'Innovation Sociale A structured analytical framework built on 15+ years of research-action that assesses social innovation potential beyond stated intentions, evaluating differentiation from existing practices, shared social needs, solution accessibility, territorial anchoring, and collective dimensions. Used by public and private funders, accompaniment structures, and project initiators.
• Marqueurs d'Innovation Sociale An analytical tool that evaluates the social innovation potential of a project using graduated qualitative elements, enabling assessment at a given moment and progression toward a projected ideal. Used by public and private funders in call-for-projects contexts and by accompaniment structures for continuous evaluation of project initiators.
• Marqueurs Living Lab An evaluation tool co-constructed with Belgian Living Labs (WeLL and Smart Gastronomy Lab) that qualifies and evaluates the implementation of Living Lab approaches, translating qualitative and process-based elements into an evaluation system for use by Living Lab practitioners.
• Matrice Méthodologique A matrix of key elements designed to facilitate the initiation and perpetuation of collective territorial dynamics such as Territorial Poles of Economic Cooperation (PTCE) and third places, addressing recurring questions from collective dynamics actors and formalizing the institute's accumulated expertise.
• Méthode d'évaluation de l'utilité sociale des Régies A bespoke evaluation method for Quartier and Territory Régies developed in collaboration with the Mouvement des Régies, consisting of a Markers Reference Framework (a grid of about twenty markers for analyzing and valorizing actions) and a User Guide for decoding evaluation challenges.
• PTCE : analyses des récurrences et ingénierie A research document analyzing recurring patterns and engineering approaches in Territorial Poles of Economic Cooperation (PTCE), based on long-term proximity work in the Hauts-de-France region and national-level interviews, addressing questions about PTCE ecosystem diversity and functioning.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• Mouvement des RégiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Multi-year collaborative development of a bespoke social utility evaluation method for Regies (neighborhood and territory management organizations). The partnership produced the 'Référentiel des Marqueurs' grid and accompanying 'Guide d'utilisation', built with input from dozens of Regies and now accessible via the Movement's intranet.
• FONJEP (Fonds de Développement de la Vie Associative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-year national experimental project on associative evaluation, involving a national seminar series and research-action producing evaluation frameworks for associations. Institut Godin participated in presenting the findings at the national level and conducted auditions at CNRS.
• Institut Français du Monde Associatif (IFMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partnership covering multiple initiatives including the Univ'Asso participatory research program on associations and financing, and the associative value project involving a CNRS audition. Co-organizes events such as the 'evaluation in question' roundtable at the Conference on Associative Management.
• WeLL Living Lab and Smart Gastronomy Lab (Belgium)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-construction of the Marqueurs Living Lab evaluation tool, addressing the need to move beyond purely result-based indicators in Living Lab approaches. The tool was developed with support from the Académie du Management and enables qualification and evaluation of Living Lab process implementation.
• DRARI Hauts-de-France (Délégués Régéraux à la Recherche et à l'Innovation)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization of the regional seminar Innovation – CPER [CRT label] at Euratechnologie, marking participation in the regional territorial innovation ecosystem under the CRT label framework.
• CNRS (France)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudition conducted at CNRS as part of the Institut Français du Monde Associatif project on associative value, positioning the institute's research within the national scientific landscape.
• Université Lyon 3 / IFROSS-CRDMSminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organization of the round table 'evaluation in question: measuring, recognizing and debating value in associations' at the Conference on Associative Management.
• Incubateur Katalyze AmienskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing engagement including jury participation, exit jury membership, and social innovation and territorial anchoring interventions with Katalyze project initiators. Also serves as a working group member with the Katalyze ESS incubator in Arras.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• France Active: Major French network financing and supporting ESS structures and social enterprises with both capital and methodological accompaniment. Broader incumbent in the same ESS support space where Institut Godin operates; larger scale and geographic reach.
• Le Mouvement Associatif: National umbrella organization representing French associations across sectors, engaged in advocacy, research, and capacity building for associative life. Adjacent to Institut Godin's research and ESS-support activities at a broader representative scale.

Direct peers

• Le Labo de l'ESS: French think tank and innovation lab for the social and solidarity economy, producing research and methodological tools on ESS transformation. Comparable to Institut Godin in producing applied research and methodologies for ESS actors and public institutions.
• Le Rameau: French research and innovation lab focused on associations, philanthropic engagement, and territorial collective dynamics. Comparable to Institut Godin as a research-action organization producing methodological frameworks and tools for associations and ESS actors in France.
• RTES (Réseau des collectivités Territoriales pour une Économie Solidaire): Network of French local and regional authorities engaged in supporting the social and solidarity economy. Comparable to Institut Godin as a coordinating and resource-providing organization for territorial ESS dynamics.
• EMES European Research Network: International academic research network developing the theoretical and empirical foundations of social enterprise and the social economy. Comparable to Institut Godin as a research-oriented network producing methodologies and frameworks on social innovation and the social economy.
• Social Value International: Global network focused on social value and impact measurement methodology, producing frameworks (SROI) adopted by funders and policymakers. Comparable to Institut Godin as a methodology-developing organization working at the intersection of social innovation evaluation and public-interest financing.
• Recherches & Solidarités: Research association producing statistical studies, barometers, and analyses on associations, ESS, and volunteering in France. Comparable to Institut Godin as a research-oriented organization serving the French associative and ESS ecosystem.
• Avise: French national agency supporting the social and solidarity economy, providing methodology, evaluation, and resource center services to ESS structures and public institutions. Highly comparable to Institut Godin's role as research-action and capacity-building partner for the French ESS ecosystem.
• Fonda: French think tank focused on associations and general interest actors, producing analyses, publications, and methodological frameworks on associative life. Comparable to Institut Godin as a research-action-oriented organization producing frameworks for ESS actors and public institutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-godin
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• Facebookfacebook.com/institutgodin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Godin Institute