3N Kompetenzzentrum

What 3N Kompetenzzentrum does

3N Kompetenzzentrum Niedersachsen Netzwerk Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und Bioökonomie e.V. is a registered non-profit association (e.V.) founded in 2006 and headquartered in Werlte, Lower Saxony, Germany. The organization operates as the central competence and network hub for renewable raw materials and bioeconomy in the region, connecting farmers, bioenergy operators, construction professionals, public-sector bodies, researchers, and Dutch cross-border partners through consulting, project coordination, events, and educational programs. Its thematic portfolio spans bioenergy (biogas, biomethane, hydrogen-enhanced fermentation), bio-based construction (Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen award, proHolz Niedersachsen wood marketing, BBoBB project), paludiculture (Competence Center for Paludiculture), carbon farming (Interreg NWE Smart Carbon Farming), and adjacent sustainability topics including phosphorus recycling and soil-less agriculture.

The organization delivers value through three primary channels: (1) the association itself (3N e.V.) running a membership model, recurring newsletter/magazine publications, and the Klimacenter Werlte exhibition and education center; (2) its commercial subsidiary 3N Dienstleistungen GmbH (founded July 2007, shareholders include Landkreis Emsland, Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen, HAWK Hochschule, and Land Niedersachsen) executing fee-for-service consulting and project management mandates; and (3) EU and national grant-funded projects, primarily via Interreg Deutschland-Nederland, Interreg North West Europe, BMEL, BMUKN, and Lower Saxony state ministries. The organization has acquired approximately EUR 34 million in grant funding over 20 years and manages roughly 18 concurrent research and project initiatives at any given time. Its go-to-market is hybrid: community-led through membership and networking events (biennial Eco Congress with Ecoras, Werlter Themenabende forums), event-driven through conferences and the Tarmstedter Ausstellung, and sales-led through direct consulting mandates and government referrals. Public pricing signals include event admission fees of EUR 14 (Tarmstedter Ausstellung) and EUR 249 plus VAT (Niedersächsischer Holzbautag 2026), while consulting mandates and membership fees are quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

3N Kompetenzzentrum

Legal name

3N Kompetenzzentrum Niedersachsen Netzwerk Nachwachsende Rohstoffe und Bioökonomie e.V.

Website

https://3-n.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

3N Kompetenzzentrum is a German non-profit network and competence center (founded 2006, ~15–20 employees) that connects agriculture, bioenergy, construction, and public-sector stakeholders in Lower Saxony through consulting, EU-funded projects, events, and the Klimacenter Werlte exhibition center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioeconomy Network and Consulting Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable & Responsible Supply Chain (ESG, Scope 3) (BPAHAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Content, Trade & Supply-Chain Regulation (Import duties, anti-dumping) (EUAMANAK), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO), Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH)

Keywords

• Renewable raw materials
• Bioeconomy consulting
• Biogas project management
• Sustainable timber construction
• Paludiculture advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Werlte

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: 3N e.V. operates a membership model. Farms, businesses, institutions, and municipalities join the network for access to expertise, consulting, project collaboration, and industry connections. Annual membership fees fund core operations of the association.
2. Commercial Consulting and Project Services (3N Dienstleistungen GmbH): The commercial subsidiary executes fee-for-service mandates including technical and economic concept development for bioenergy use, climate center management, project management for public and private clients, and grant/financing consulting. Revenue is generated through project contracts and consulting fees.
3. Event Revenue: Paid events include seminars, workshops, the Niedersächsischer Holzbautag (conference fee of EUR 249 plus VAT), and training programs. Entry fees and sponsorship contribute to event economics.
4. EU and Public Research Project Funding: 3N participates as a partner in EU-funded Interreg programs (North Sea, Deutschland-Nederland, North West Europe) and national funding programs (BMEL, BMUKN, Lower Saxony Ministry). Project funding covers personnel, materials, and dissemination activities. Approximately EUR 34 million in grant funding has been acquired over 20 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

3N Kompetenzzentrum operates as a non-profit networking and competence organization for renewable raw materials and bioeconomy in Lower Saxony, Germany. Through its association (e.V.) and commercial subsidiary (3N Dienstleistungen GmbH), it delivers membership-based networking, paid consulting, project management, and applied research on biogas, biomethane, bio-based construction, paludiculture, carbon farming, and circular bioeconomy. It also operates the Klimacenter Werlte visitor and education center, runs the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen award, and executes EU/national funded Interreg projects in partnership with Dutch provinces and research institutions.

Product overview

3N Kompetenzzentrum is a networking and coordination organization for renewable resources and bioeconomy in Lower Saxony, Germany. Rather than a single software product, it offers a portfolio of programs, tools, and services including the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen award program, the Klimacenter Werlte exhibition center, various databases (Objektdatenbank Holzbau, Projektdatenbank Bioenergie), calculators (CO2-Rechner), price indices (Pellet-Preis-Index), informational portals (Energieatlas Niedersachsen), and numerous Interreg-funded research projects on bioenergy, carbon farming, paludiculture, and biobased construction materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Klimacenter Werlte: Visitor information center for environmentally friendly building and renovation, as well as an extracurricular learning location for regional environmental education.
• Kompetenzstelle Paludikultur
• Landesmarketingfonds Holz Niedersachsen

Products and services

• Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen A biennial award program recognizing outstanding wooden construction projects in Lower Saxony that demonstrate innovation in sustainable building with wood and other renewable raw materials, including a special prize for circular construction and natural building materials. Prize money of EUR 10,000–12,000 per cycle. Open to architects, structural engineers, carpentry firms, and property owners.
• Klimacenter Werlte An exhibition center in Werlte serving as a consumer information facility for environmentally friendly building and renovation, and an extracurricular learning venue for regional environmental education. Features a virtual 360° tour and hands-on educational exhibits. Operated by 3N Dienstleistungen GmbH.
• Pellet-Preis-Index Niedersachsen

Quantifiable outcome

• EUR 34 million in grant funding acquired over 20 years for the region
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 3N Dienstleistungen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20073N Dienstleistungen GmbH is the commercial subsidiary of 3N e.V., founded in July 2007. Its shareholders are the Landkreis Emsland, Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture), HAWK Hochschule Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen, and the state of Lower Saxony. It handles all commercial mandates of the competence center, with a focus on managing the Klimacenter Werlte and developing technical and economic concepts for bioenergy utilization.
• Landkreis EmslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe district of Emsland is a co-shareholder of 3N Dienstleistungen GmbH and a key local government partner. The city of Werlte hosts 3N's headquarters on a former barracks site, and the district mayor has referred to 3N as a 'stroke of luck for Werlte'. The Emsland SPD and district council engage actively with 3N.
• Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture is co-shareholder of 3N Dienstleistungen GmbH and a key institutional partner in agricultural extension, bioenergy consulting, and sustainable land use. Joint activities include projects on biogas, paludiculture, and renewable raw materials.
• HAWK Hochschule Hildesheim/Holzminden/GöttingencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts is co-shareholder of 3N Dienstleistungen GmbH and provides academic expertise in timber construction, bio-based materials, and sustainable engineering. The university contributes to projects including Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen (jury member Prof. Volker Krämer) and the BioBoost-Pro project.
• Landesbeirat Holz Niedersachsen e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe State Advisory Board for Wood Lower Saxony e.V. is a co-organizer of the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen and a key partner in wood promotion activities. It is jointly responsible for the award's independent expert jury, which includes the President of the Architektenkammer Niedersachsen.
• EcorascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcoras is the co-organizer of the Eco Congress (held biennially since 2006), together with 3N. The Eco Congress focuses on regional resources and bioeconomy and features strong German-Dutch cooperation. Ecoras CEO Cor Kamminga emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration and networking that the congress facilitates.
• Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz (ML)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection provides the official patronage for the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen and is a key government sponsor. It also co-supports the Eco Congress. The ministry's ministers (Christian Meyer, Barbara Otte-Kinast, Miriam Staudte across different years) have served as patrons for 3N events and projects.
• Verband Niedersächsischer Zimmermeister (VNZ) im Baugewerbe-Verband NiedersachsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Lower Saxony master carpenters is a key partner in the BBoBB (Building Based on BioBased) project and the mobile showroom initiative. VNZ plans to deploy the mobile showroom through its ~300 member companies across Lower Saxony, creating a distribution and demonstration network for bio-based construction materials.
• proHolz Niedersachsen (hosted at 3N)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProHolz Niedersachsen is a wood marketing initiative housed at 3N Kompetenzzentrum, funded by the Landesmarketingfonds Holz. It promotes wood as a construction material, organizes the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen, and coordinates with supporters from the forest and wood cluster.
• Multitel (Belgium)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian technology company leading the Smart Carbon Farming Interreg NWE project. 3N contributes Lower Saxony-specific expertise on carbon sequestration measurement and agricultural practice transition.
• Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) is Germany's central funding initiative for renewable raw materials, operating under BMEL. 3N collaborates with FNR on projects, dissemination, and policy advisory. FNR publishes guides (e.g., BGA Cluster clustering guide) that 3N references and distributes.
• Kompetenzstelle Paludikultur (Paludikultur Competence Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Paludikultur Competence Center (hosted at 3N) is dedicated to sustainable wetland agriculture on rewetted peat soils. It plays a central role in Lower Saxony's climate protection strategy, providing advisory services and coordinating projects such as RoNNi, Paludi & Bau, Paludi & Markt, and PALUDIFarming. It maintains its own website at paludikultur-niedersachsen.de.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bundesverband Bioenergie e.V. (BBE): National German bioenergy industry association representing the entire bioenergy value chain. While 3N is a competence center rather than a trade association, BBE pursues similar convening roles in the biogas/biomethane/bioenergy ecosystem where 3N runs projects like H2-Chance and GroenGas.
• Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft (KTBL): German competence center for agricultural engineering and construction, providing technical-economic decision-support, calculators, databases, and applied research for agriculture. KTBL's calculator/tool-oriented, federally-funded, knowledge-transfer model closely mirrors 3N's service portfolio beyond just bioenergy.
• C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. Central Agricultural Documentation and Information Center for Renewable Raw Materials in Bavaria, structurally and functionally nearly identical to 3N - a state-level non-profit competence center for bioenergy, biobased materials, and renewable resources. The two organizations are direct regional parallels in different German federal states.
• Holzbau Deutschland Institut (HDI): Federation and competence network for German timber construction, including research, training, and the Holzbau-Bundeswettbewerb. Mirrors 3N's timber-construction convening role and directly parallels the Holzbaupreis Niedersachsen in its award-program function.

Broad incumbents

• Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ): German Biomass Research Center, a federal research institution focused on bioenergy research, with applied projects and bioeconomy expertise. Larger and federally funded; serves as a research counterpart where 3N performs state-level coordination and dissemination for similar bioenergy topics.
• Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. (FNR): Germany's central coordinating agency for renewable raw materials research, funding, and public information under BMEL. FNR operates at the federal level where 3N operates at the Lower Saxony state level; 3N explicitly references FNR's publications and collaborates with it as a strategic partner, making FNR the closest structural analog and frequent coordination partner.
• Thünen Institute (Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institut): Federal German research institute under BMEL covering rural areas, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and bioeconomy. Operates at much larger scale and federal scope; overlapping research/policy interests in bioeconomy, paludiculture, and renewable resources make it a comparison point for research-to-application translation.

Others

• Climate-KIC Netherlands / EIT Climate-KIC: European climate innovation knowledge and innovation community supported by EIT, running cross-border climate programs with strong NL-DE participation. Comparable as a multi-country, grant-funded, convener/network model adjacent to 3N's role in Dutch-German Interreg projects.

Emerging players

• Bio-Based Industries Consortium (BIC) / Circular Bio-Based Europe: European public-private partnership under Horizon Europe focused on bio-based innovation and circular bioeconomy. Operates at pan-EU scale where 3N operates regionally, but shares overlapping biobased-construction and bioeconomy themes through projects like BBoBB.

Regional players

• Innovative Biogas Nord GmbH / 3N-Cluster partners: Regional biogas value-chain actors in northern Germany, including operators such as Dankers Bio Energy BV (Netherlands) cited as 3N's pilot partner in H2-Chance. Comparable regional biogas technology/intermediation players against which 3N's clustering and consulting role is benchmarked.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/3NKompetenzzentrum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3n-kompetenzzentrum-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about 3N Kompetenzzentrum