The Lisbon Council

What The Lisbon Council does

The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal asbl is a Brussels-headquartered, Belgium-registered non-profit think tank and policy network founded in 2003. It produces evidence-based policy analysis and convenes high-level stakeholders across the European Union on issues spanning digital policy, AI, competitiveness, sustainability, skills and social renewal. Its core "products" are organised around five thematic research initiatives (Artificial Intelligence for Science, Digital Government, Scale Up Europe, Skills and Education, Innovation and Collaboration) that generate standalone publications such as the 2019 Future of Work Index, the 2023 Green Digital and Competitive Index and the 2025 brief 'When Europe Scales,' alongside an online commentary platform (The Forum), a dedicated Evidence Hub on Social Media Bans for Kids, and a programme of summits and roundtables (e.g., the Scaling Europe Summit co-convened with Stripe, the 2024 Digital Skills Summit and the 2026 Sustainable Cities Summit).

The technical platform is a WordPress-based content and policy research site (lisboncouncil.net) hosted at the LCL Belgium NV data centre in Machelen, using PHP session identifiers and Google Analytics, and certified compliant with GDPR, Belgian data-protection law and the European Accessibility Act (EN 301 549 v3.2.1 / WCAG 2.1 AA, last review 8 October 2025). A separately maintained opt-in community database stores consenting public-administration officials' contact data for newsletter and event distribution; there is no public API or commercial software offering.

The Lisbon Council's revenue mechanics rest on three streams: (i) European Union co-financing under the Horizon Europe programme, which supports more than a dozen multi-nation research and innovation consortiums (Road-STEAMer, Schools as Living Labs, EDDIE, Co-VAL, TROPICO, COGOV, ENLARGE, CITADEL) employing roughly 30 scientists and project managers; (ii) governing-body and member contributions through its Board (3 members) and General Assembly (4 members); and (iii) brand partnerships and sponsorships tied to flagship events, notably Stripe Inc.'s co-convening of the Scaling Europe Summit. All policy outputs are distributed free of charge; there is no commercial pricing model.

Name

The Lisbon Council

Legal name

The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal asbl

Website

https://lisboncouncil.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based, Belgium-registered non-profit think tank founded in 2003 that produces open-access EU policy research and convenes high-level policymakers, industry and civil society on digital policy, AI, competitiveness, sustainability and skills via Horizon Europe co-financed projects, summits and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Analysis

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Think tank services
• EU policy analysis
• Research consortiums
• High-level convenings

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU co-financing and project grants: The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal asbl is a Belgium-registered non-profit association (asbl). Its research and innovation projects (more than a dozen large-scale, multi-nation projects) are co-financed by the European Union, primarily through the Horizon Europe programme. Funding supports the employment of project managers, cluster coordinators, research associates and freelancers working under direct contracts (personnel category A.2).
2. Membership and governing body contributions: Governing bodies include a Board (3 members: 1 woman, 2 men) and a General Assembly (4 members: 2 women, 2 men). The asbl structure implies dues, member contributions and governance-based funding, complemented by donations and event partnerships with industry players such as Stripe Inc.
3. Co-convened flagship events with industry partners: Revenue from jointly convened summits (e.g., Scaling Europe Summit 2025 co-convened with Stripe Inc.) and other high-level roundtables, where partners contribute to produce invite-only gatherings of 150+ entrepreneurs, policymakers and analysts. Brand partnerships and sponsorships underpin these activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based think tank and policy network that produces evidence-based policy research, convenes high-level roundtables and summits, and coordinates multi-nation European Union research and innovation projects. Its core deliverables are open-access policy briefs, indexes and reports (e.g., 'When Europe Scales,' 'The 2019 Future of Work Index,' 'Privacy Enhancing Technologies: The Time is Now') together with a programme of invite-only summits, working lunches and roundtables that bring together EU policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society. Activities are co-financed by the European Union, primarily through the Horizon Europe programme.

Product overview

The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based think tank operating a content-and-convening platform rather than a single unified software product. Its core offering is research and policy analysis, structured around multiple thematic research initiatives (Artificial Intelligence for Science, Digital Government, Scale Up Europe, Skills and Education, Innovation and Collaboration) that produce standalone publications such as policy briefs, indexes (e.g., The 2019 Future of Work Index, The 2023 Green Digital and Competitive Index, When Europe Scales) and online resources (e.g., the Future of Work Policy Bank). These outputs are amplified through a programme of high-level convenings — including summits (e.g., Scaling Europe Summit 2025/2026, 2024 Digital Skills Summit, 2026 Sustainable Cities Summit) and roundtables — and surfaced via The Forum commentary platform, the website news section, a newsletter, and dedicated information hubs such as the Evidence Hub on Social Media Bans for Kids.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lisbon Council Research: Research arm producing policy briefs such as 'When Europe Scales' and 'The 2023 Green, Digital and Competitive Index.'
• The Forum
• Evidence Hub on Social Media Bans for Kids
• Sustainable Cities Lab

Products and services

• Evidence Hub on Social Media Bans for Kids An open platform collecting data, research and policy insights on social media bans for teenagers, serving as an information hub of visualised data and opinion pieces by leading experts in online safety, children's protection and digital rights.
• The Forum The Lisbon Council's platform for online commentary and debate, featuring weekly on-the-news blogs covering European policy, digital regulation, democracy, AI, sustainability and competitiveness.
• Lisbon Council Publications Open-access policy briefs, indexes and reports published by the Lisbon Council on topics including digital competitiveness, AI, sustainability, energy transition, startup ecosystems, education and democracy. Examples include 'When Europe Scales,' 'More Environmental Protection, Less Reporting Burden,' 'Power to the People,' 'Privacy Enhancing Technologies: The Time is Now,' 'Making European Science Flourish in the AI Age,' 'Sustainable Computing for a Sustainable Planet,' the 2019 Future of Work Index, and 'Driving Innovation to Curb Climate Change.'
• Lisbon Council Summits and High-Level Roundtables A programme of high-level convenings including summits, working lunches, breakfasts and roundtables that bring together policymakers, industry leaders, academics and civil society to discuss European digital policy priorities. Examples include the Scaling Europe Summit, the Digital Skills Summit, the Sustainable Cities Summit, and the High-Level Roundtable on Sovereignty in Practice.
• Artificial Intelligence for Science Initiative A research initiative focused on artificial intelligence and scientific discovery, exploring the next generation of AI tools for scientific research and the role of AI in accelerating scientific progress across Europe.
• Digital Government Initiative A research initiative focused on digital governance and public service transformation, supporting user-centricity, co-creation of public services and digital-ready policymaking across European administrations.
• Scale Up Europe Initiative A research initiative focused on growing the European startup and scale-up ecosystem through smart regulation, a scaleup-centric single market, a unique talent hub and digital-native regulation.
• Skills and Education Initiative A research initiative focused on digital skills, STEM education and lifelong learning, addressing education gaps and skills mismatches through forward-looking reforms aligned with labour market needs.
• Future of Work Policy Bank An online policy bank that tracks reform efforts in EU member states across the domains of social protection, accessible labour markets and entrepreneurship, supporting cross-country comparison and policy learning.
• Lisbon Council Research Hub A research programme in which the Lisbon Council leads or co-leads more than a dozen large-scale, multi-nation European Union research and innovation projects covering climate neutrality, digital governance, technological foresight, data economy, science and disinformation, coordinated by a team of 30 scientists and project managers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Twenty years of continuous operation at the forefront of European Union policymaking (founded 2003; twentieth anniversary celebrated 04 September 2023)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• EDDIE - European Distributed Data Infrastructure for EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026The Lisbon Council's June 2026 policy brief 'Power to the People: Scaling Energy Communities by Removing Friction' was built on insights from the EDDIE project, proposing low-friction digital services, interoperable energy data infrastructure and solidarity-by-design models to scale energy communities.
• EuroCommerceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026Hélène Paterson, adviser on digital transformation at EuroCommerce, participated as a high-level speaker in the Lisbon Council's High-Level Roundtable on 'Beyond the Privacy-Competitiveness Paradox: Scaling European First-Party Data Economy' (April 2026) on retail media.
• IAB EuropeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026Daniel Knapp, chief economist of IAB Europe, and Ninon Vagner, legal director of IAB Europe, participated in the Lisbon Council's high-level roundtables on the European first-party data economy (April 2026) and privacy-enhancing technologies (January 2026).
• COFACE Families EuropeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2026Elizabeth Gosme, director of COFACE Families Europe, participated as a high-level expert in the Lisbon Council's 'No Bully Zone' roundtable (February 2026) on cyberbullying, bringing the family-policy angle to the discussion.
• Federation of European Data and Marketing (FEDMA)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Robin de Wouters, director general of FEDMA, opened the Lisbon Council's High-Level Working Lunch on 'Privacy-Enhancing Technologies in Digital Advertising' (January 2026) with a new study based on a survey of marketers showcasing PETs in action.
• Stripe Inc.flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2025Co-convened the Scaling Europe Summit: How Startups and Scaleups Can Grow a Competitive Online Economy (April 2025), an invite-only gathering of 150 entrepreneurs, policymakers and analysts. John Collison, cofounder and president of Stripe, delivered a one-of-a-kind fireside chat with Lisbon Council cofounder/president Paul Hofheinz and shared lessons on Stripe's rise and policy ideas to grow the European online economy. The summit also served as the official launch of the 'When Europe Scales' policy brief.
• Road-STEAMer consortium (14 partners)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025The Lisbon Council coordinates the 14-partner consortium co-financed by the European Union to drive creation of a policy roadmap for science education. As part of Road-STEAMer, the Lisbon Council convened the 2025 Skills Summit: Advancing STEM Education for Competitiveness and Social Fairness, featuring a keynote from European Commission EVP Roxana Mînzatu and participation from SAP, the Institute of Imagination, European Parliament and University of Applied Sciences Leiden.
• Analysys MasoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Analysys Mason partner David Abecassis presented the in-depth study 'The European telecoms regulatory framework: not a good fit for the public cloud' at the High-Level Roundtable Future-Proofing European Digital Infrastructure, convened by the Lisbon Council in September 2024 as part of the discussion of the European Commission's white paper on digital infrastructure.
• Schools as Living Labs consortium (13 members)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Lisbon Council hosted the High-Level Roundtable on Digital Skills and Open Schooling: A Roadmap for Europe (April 2023), informing a new policy brief on the Roadmap on European Policies for Living-Lab-Based Open Schooling. Francesco Mureddu, senior director at the Lisbon Council, presented emerging policy conclusions. The consortium led a 36-month deep dive on using new approaches in education.
• European SchoolnetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Hans Martens, head of digital citizenship at European Schoolnet, joined the 'No Bully Zone' roundtable (February 2026); Tommaso Dalla Vecchia, development and advocacy manager at European Schoolnet, presented at the 2023 Digital Skills Summit; Marc Durando, executive director of European Schoolnet, spoke at the 2021 Climate Science Education breakfast.
• LieDetectorsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2024Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck, executive director and founder of LieDetectors (an award-winning media literacy organisation), participated as a key expert in the Lisbon Council's roundtable 'Empowering Young People: Protecting Democracy' (March 2024) on the eve of the 2024 European Parliament elections.
• Apple Developer Academy (Naples) / University of Naples Federico IIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Stefano Avallone, associate professor at University of Naples Federico II and managing director of Apple Developer Academy, participated in the High-Level Roundtable 'With Great Tech Comes Great Responsibility' on cyberbullying (February 2026). The roundtable also showcased student winners of The Big Hack 2025, a technology hackathon and coding marathon by Apple Academy. Giorgio Ventre, scientific director of the Apple Developer Academy, was a keynote at the 2023 Digital Skills Summit.
• Code.orgminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Code.org founder and CEO Hadi Partovi was a keynote speaker at the 2024 Digital Skills Summit convened by the Lisbon Council, unveiling how the initiative brought computer education to 80 million students worldwide.
• Co-VAL, TROPICO, COGOV, ENLARGE and CITADEL Horizon 2020 consortiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Lisbon Council teamed up with these five Horizon 2020-funded research projects (coordinated respectively by Istituto per la Ricerca Sociale, University of Bergen, Northumbria University, PPMI and Athens Technology Center) to produce 'The Co-Creation Compass: Creating Public Value Together: From Research to Action' and convening the 2021 Digital Government Summit.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Europe: Europe-based policy research organisation competing for Horizon Europe and EU institutional research contracts. Comparable in multi-nation consortium project delivery and policy research output, though larger in scale and broader in topic coverage.
• Carnegie Europe: Brussels arm of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, producing policy research and convening on EU and global issues. Comparable convening role and policy publication cadence, with a broader global mandate and larger institutional backing.

Direct peers

• Friends of Europe: Brussels-based think tank that convenes high-level policy debates and publishes commentary on EU priorities including digital, sustainability and competitiveness. Directly comparable event-driven GTM and pan-European policy community engagement model.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank with convening events and policy research on EU integration, digital, climate and competitiveness. Comparable operating model (small Secretariat, high-level roundtables, working papers) and similar headcount, making it a near-direct peer to the Lisbon Council.
• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): Pan-European think tank with a Brussels office producing foreign policy and digital policy analysis. Comparable in convening model, pan-European reach and policy brief publication style; overlaps with the Lisbon Council on digital sovereignty, AI and EU competitiveness themes.
• Bruegel: Brussels-based economic think tank producing policy research and convening senior EU policymakers, industry and academics. Direct peer to the Lisbon Council in the same Brussels think-tank ecosystem, competing for EU institutional mindshare and member-state attention.
• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): Brussels-based think tank producing EU policy research across digital, economic, energy and security topics. Closely comparable in mandate (independent research + convening) and Brussels footprint, and a direct competitor for Horizon Europe consortium contracts and industry partnerships.

Regional players

• Chatham House: London-based international affairs think tank with convening and research mandate similar to the Lisbon Council, but operating primarily outside the Brussels policy ecosystem. Useful peer reference for the convening-plus-publication business model.
• Institute for European Policy (IEP) at Universiteit Maastricht: EU-focused research institute based in the Netherlands producing policy analysis and convening events on European integration. Comparable in academic-anchored convening model but with a more academic affiliation and different geographic base.

Others

• European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN): Network of European policy think tanks coordinating analytical contributions to EU policy debates. Adjacent to the Lisbon Council as a coordinating layer for the same ecosystem of EU policy researchers and convening institutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lisboncouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lisbon-council

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Lisbon Council