Ideal-ist
Ideal-ist is the official Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point network, funded by the European Commission, that helps research organisations, companies, and public authorities worldwide access EU R&D funding through guidance, partner search, proposal checks, and a suite of web-based tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersTel Aviv-yafo, Israel
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ideal-ist does
Ideal-ist is the official Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point (NCP) network, operating under European Commission grant agreement no. 101207064 and coordinated by the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD) from Tel Aviv. The network helps companies and research organisations worldwide navigate the European Commission's Horizon Europe research programme, providing guidance, personalised support, practical information, and assistance on all aspects of participation in EU Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) programmes. It serves research organisations, universities, SMEs and larger companies, and public authorities seeking to participate in Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital funding calls, build consortia, and prepare competitive proposals.
The platform delivers a suite of web-based tools and services including a Topic Tree (visualising connections between closed, open, and forthcoming Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital topics), Partner Search (linking to online partner search forums for consortium building), Full Proposal Check (expert feedback one month before deadlines), Project Idea Check (guided validation of project ideas), a Toolbox (resources across the application lifecycle), FSTP Opportunities, Cooperation Profiles, Face2Face Brokerage Events, and Power BI dashboards for both Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects. Distribution operates through National Contact Points embedded in 50+ countries, enabling country-specific personalised guidance that combines EU programme knowledge with local research ecosystem expertise. The network is formally aligned with major European R&D partnerships including ADRA, BDVA, Photonics21, euRobotics, EuroHPC JU, Chips JU, SNS JU, ECSO, EFFRA, AIOTI, AIoD, and VWA.
The business model is non-commercial: Ideal-ist is funded entirely by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme, and all services to proposers are provided free of charge. There is no pricing model, no subscription, and no revenue from service delivery. The entity operates as a publicly funded research support initiative with distributed governance through NCPs, rather than a traditional corporate structure.
Ideal-ist firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ideal-ist
- Legal name
- Ideal-ist (Israel-Europe R&D Directorate - ISERD)
- Website
- https://ideal-ist.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Ideal-ist is the official Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point network, funded by the European Commission, that helps research organisations, companies, and public authorities worldwide access EU R&D funding through guidance, partner search, proposal checks, and a suite of web-based tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ideal-ist industry classification
Industry- Product category
- EU Research Funding Advisory Services
- NAICS
- All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990), Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Services, Nec (8900), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies (BPADANAA)
Keywords
Where Ideal-ist is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tel Aviv-yafo
- HQ country
- Israel
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ideal-ist business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- EU Grant Funding: Ideal-ist is a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. It is not a commercial entity and does not generate revenue from services. All support services to proposers are free. The project operates under grant agreement no. 101207064.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ideal-ist product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ideal-ist is the official Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point (NCP) network, coordinated by the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD). It provides free, expert guidance and web-based tools—including a Topic Tree visualization, Partner Search, Project Idea Check, Full Proposal Check, and a curated Toolbox—to help companies and research organisations worldwide navigate EU research funding opportunities, build consortia, and prepare competitive proposals.
Product overview
Ideal-ist is a Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point (NCP) network that provides a suite of web-based tools and services to support companies and research organisations in participating in EU research programmes. The offering is a unified coordination platform rather than a commercial product suite, comprising proposal development tools (Full Proposal Check, Project Idea Check), partnership facilitation services (Partner Search, Cooperation Profiles, Face2Face Brokerage Events), knowledge resources (Toolbox with categories for Basic Info, Proposal Advice, Project Advice, and Information for all phases), and funding opportunity discovery tools (FSTP Opportunities, Other Funding Sources, Horizon Dashboards). The Topic Tree visualizes topic connections across Horizon Europe calls. The NCP Network connects users with country-specific contact points for personalized guidance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Partner Search
Companies that use Ideal-ist
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ideal-ist technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Ideal-ist partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and moderate.
- European CommissioncoreThe European Commission is the primary funder of Ideal-ist under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (grant agreement no. 101207064). The EC sets the strategic direction for Cluster 4 Digital topics and provides oversight of the NCP network activities.
- AI, Data and Robotics Partnership (Adra)majorADRA is the contractual partner for AI, Data and Robotics in Horizon Europe. Ideal-ist collaborates with ADRA on events, information sharing, and ecosystem connectivity for Cluster 4 Digital topics related to ADR technologies.
- Big Data Value Association (BDVA)majorBDVA is a European big data and AI association that Ideal-ist connects proposers with for partnership opportunities in data-related Horizon Europe calls.
- European Photonics Partnership (Photonics21)majorPhotonics21 represents the photonics industry and research community in Europe. Ideal-ist facilitates connections between photonics stakeholders and Horizon Europe Cluster 4 digital topics.
- European Robotics Association (euRobotics)majoreuRobotics is the robotics industry association in Europe. Ideal-ist collaborates on events and partner searches related to robotics topics in Horizon Europe Cluster 4.
- High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU)majorEuroHPC JU coordinates European HPC resources. Ideal-ist supports proposers interested in HPC-related topics and refers stakeholders to EuroHPC opportunities.
- Chips Joint UndertakingmajorThe Chips JU supports semiconductor research in Europe. Ideal-ist connects proposers to Chips JU collaboration tools and relevant funding opportunities.
- SNS Joint Undertaking (SNS JU)majorSNS JU focuses on smart networks and services for 6G. Ideal-ist supports NCPs and proposers interested in 5G/6G and connectivity topics under Cluster 4.
- European Cyber-Security Organisation (ECSO)majorECSO represents the European cyber security industry. Ideal-ist facilitates connections for cyber security-related Horizon Europe proposals in Cluster 4 digital topics.
- European Factories of the Future Research Association (EFFRA)moderateEFFRA is the European association for Factories of the Future. Ideal-ist connects proposers to EFFRA for manufacturing and industry-related topics.
- Alliance for the Internet of Things Innovation (AIOTI)moderateAIOTI promotes IoT innovation in Europe. Ideal-ist leverages AIOTI connections for IoT-related partnership opportunities.
- AI-on-demand platform (AIoD)moderateAIoD provides an AI-on-demand platform for European researchers. Ideal-ist directs proposers to AIoD for AI-related collaboration opportunities.
- Virtual Worlds Partnership (VWA)moderateVWA focuses on virtual worlds and immersive technologies. Ideal-ist connects proposers to VWA for extended reality and virtual world topics.
- Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD)coreISERD is the coordinating entity for the Ideal-ist project. As the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate, ISERD manages the project and is responsible for editorial and technical oversight of the website content.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Ideal-ist competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): A large-scale EC-funded network helping SMEs access EU funding, find partners, and navigate European programmes. Directly comparable to Ideal-ist in its mission of bridging researchers/companies with EU R&D opportunities, though EEN has a broader SME-commercialisation focus.
- ENRICH (European Network of Research and Innovation Centres and Hubs): A network connecting European research and innovation centres globally. Comparable to Ideal-ist in facilitating cross-border R&D collaboration and providing advisory services to research organisations.
- NCP_WIDERA.NET: The official NCP network for Horizon Europe's 'Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence' component. Operates the same National Contact Point model as Ideal-ist but serves a different policy objective, making it the most structurally comparable peer.
- Health NCP Network (Cluster 1): The NCP network serving Horizon Europe Cluster 1 (Health). Provides the same NCP-based advisory model for a different cluster, making it a direct structural parallel to Ideal-ist's Cluster 4 Digital focus.
Others
- Ideal-ist Project Partners (Cluster 4 Digital country NCPs): The individual National Contact Points that collectively form the Ideal-ist network. While not external competitors, these partner organisations (e.g., national research councils) operate similar advisory functions at the country level and could potentially compete for direct delivery of Cluster 4 Digital advisory services.
Broad incumbents
- ISERD (Israel-Europe R&D Directorate): The Israeli coordinator of the Ideal-ist project and a broader bilateral R&D cooperation entity. While not a direct competitor, ISERD operates a similar R&D advisory role for Israel-based participants and shares operational infrastructure with Ideal-ist.
- CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service): The European Commission's official public database for EU-funded research projects. While Ideal-ist links to and complements CORDIS, CORDIS is a broader incumbent that could potentially absorb NCP advisory functionality over time.
- European Innovation Council (EIC): The EC's flagship innovation funding instrument for breakthrough technologies and scale-ups. Overlaps thematically with Ideal-ist's mission of supporting EU R&D participants, though focused on commercialisation rather than early-stage research funding navigation.
- EU Funding & Tenders Portal: The European Commission's single entry point for accessing EU funding opportunities and tendering. While Ideal-ist provides value-added guidance on top of this portal, it represents the official primary source that could compete with NCP services.
- EURAXESS: The EC's pan-European network supporting researcher mobility and career development. Operates on the same NCP-style national contact model as Ideal-ist but focuses on researcher careers rather than funding programme participation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ideal-ist social profiles
Digital presenceIdeal-ist financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ideal-ist leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ideal-ist funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ideal-ist M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ideal-ist
What does Ideal-ist do?
Ideal-ist is the official Horizon Europe Cluster 4 Digital National Contact Point (NCP) network, coordinated by the Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD). It provides free, expert guidance and web-based tools—including a Topic Tree visualization, Partner Search, Project Idea Check, Full Proposal Check, and a curated Toolbox—to help companies and research organisations worldwide navigate EU research funding opportunities, build consortia, and prepare competitive proposals.
Is Ideal-ist a public or private company?
Ideal-ist is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Ideal-ist founded?
Ideal-ist was founded in 2022.
Where is Ideal-ist based?
Ideal-ist is headquartered in Tel Aviv-yafo, Israel, in the Middle East region.
How does Ideal-ist make money?
One revenue line is on record: EU Grant Funding.
Who are Ideal-ist's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), ENRICH (European Network of Research and Innovation Centres and Hubs), NCP_WIDERA.NET and Health NCP Network (Cluster 1). Ideal-ist Project Partners (Cluster 4 Digital country NCPs) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are ISERD (Israel-Europe R&D Directorate), CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service), European Innovation Council (EIC), EU Funding & Tenders Portal and EURAXESS.
Does Ideal-ist have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ideal-ist.
What industry is Ideal-ist in?
Ideal-ist's product category is EU Research Funding Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADANAA, International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies. Its NAICS code is 541990 and its SIC code is 8900.