WWU Munster
WWU Münster hosts ERCIS, a European Research Center for Information Systems operating as a nonprofit research network of 30+ partner universities across 25+ countries. It conducts interdisciplinary IS research via four Competence Centers, EU-funded projects, and academic programming for students, researchers, and industry advisory partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersMünster, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WWU Munster does
WWU Münster is the legal host entity (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster) for ERCIS, the European Research Center for Information Systems — a nonprofit academic research network founded at the Department for Information Systems of the University of Münster. ERCIS operates as a federated network connecting over 30 partner universities across Europe, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, and the United States, with the majority of its activity organized around four Competence Centers: Digital Transformation in SMEs, Crisis Management (C3M, founded 2013), Social Media Analytics (emerged from the BMBF-funded PropStop project), and Smarter Work. The network's core technology and intellectual property centers on academic research output — methodologies such as the Trial Guidance Methodology (TGM, standardized as CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 17514:2020 through the DRIVER+ project), the Virtual Open Innovation Lab curriculum, and Social Media Analytics detection methods for disinformation and bot activity — rather than commercial software products.
ERCIS serves three primary customer segments: students and PhD candidates at partner institutions who participate in Winter Schools, Master Thesis Awards, the new DOI-indexed Master Theses Series, Doctoral Consortia, and the PhD Club; academic researchers seeking international collaboration and joint EU funding opportunities; and industry Advisory Board members (including SAP, adesso, Hilti, viadee, Westfalen Group, and zeb) seeking talent access and research insight. Revenue mechanics are nonprofit: institutional support from WWU and partner universities, EU grants (ERASMUS+, H2020, Digital Europe Programme, BMBF), and nominal event participation fees (Winter School accommodation ~150–250 EUR; Doctoral Consortium ~700 EUR administration/accommodation). No commercial pricing or ARR model exists. The network's go-to-market is community-led, relying on academic conference presence (ECIS, ISCRAM), partner university channels, and structured programming rather than sales-driven motion.
WWU Munster firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WWU Munster
- Legal name
- Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (WWU)
- Website
- https://ercis.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- WWU Münster hosts ERCIS, a European Research Center for Information Systems operating as a nonprofit research network of 30+ partner universities across 25+ countries. It conducts interdisciplinary IS research via four Competence Centers, EU-funded projects, and academic programming for students, researchers, and industry advisory partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WWU Munster industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Research Services
- NAICS
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Advisory (BPAHAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) (HDADAIAC), Emergency Response Team (ERT) Staffing & Incident Management Support (BPABANAD)
Keywords
Where WWU Munster is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Münster
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WWU Munster business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Academic Research Funding: ERCIS operates as a research network funded through academic grants, EU funding programs (ERASMUS+, H2020, Digital Europe Programme), and institutional membership contributions from partner universities
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time | Winter School participation including accommodation |
| Unit Pricing | One time | Doctoral Consortium fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
WWU Munster product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ERCIS (European Research Center for Information Systems) is an academic research network hosted by the University of Münster (WWU) that connects over 30 universities and industry partners to conduct interdisciplinary research in Information Systems. It operates four Competence Centers (Crisis Management, Digital Transformation, Social Media Analytics, Smarter Work) and runs educational programs including Doctoral Consortia, PhD Club, the annual Winter School on Advanced BPM Topics, and the Master Thesis Award.
Product overview
ERCIS (European Research Center for Information Systems) is a global research network based at WWU Münster, not a commercial product company. It connects over 30 universities and industry partners for interdisciplinary information systems research. The organization offers academic programs including doctoral consortia, PhD clubs, winter schools, and a master thesis award series. ERCIS operates four Competence Centers focused on Digital Transformation for SMEs, Crisis Management (C3M), Social Media Analytics, and Smarter Work. The network also organizes the annual ISCRAM conference on crisis management and publishes annual reports detailing research collaborations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ERCIS Winter School on Advanced BPM Topics Annual one-week seminar on Business Process Management topics for students from ERCIS member institutions, awarding 3 ECTS credits and featuring lectures from renowned BPM researchers.
- ERCIS Doctoral Consortia
Quantifiable outcome
- ISCRAM 2024 conference attracted over 200 experts from more than 25 countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WWU Munster
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WWU Munster technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
WWU Munster partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- adessocoreGerman IT services company and advisory board member providing practical industry insights and potential collaboration opportunities in Information Systems research projects
- SAPcoreEnterprise software company and advisory board member contributing enterprise technology perspectives and potential research collaboration
- Hilti CorporationcoreMultinational construction tool manufacturer and advisory board member providing industry perspective on digital transformation in operational contexts
- viadee UnternehmensberatungcoreIT consulting firm actively involved in ERCIS activities including BPM Winter School practical sessions and industry presentations
- Bison Deutschland GmbHminorAdvisory board member providing industry partnership perspective
- cronos Unternehmensberatung GmbHminorAdvisory board member contributing enterprise consulting perspective
- d.velop AGminorAdvisory board member providing document management and process optimization perspective
- IQ OptimizeminorAdvisory board member contributing optimization technology expertise
- PICTURE GmbHminorAdvisory board member providing visual communication and media technology perspective
- ProvinzialminorInsurance group and advisory board member providing financial services digital transformation perspective
- Westfalen GroupminorEnergy and logistics group and advisory board member contributing industrial operations perspective
- zebminorManagement consulting firm specializing in financial services and advisory board member
- Queensland University of TechnologycoreResearch partner representing ERCIS network presence in Australia with faculty including Michael Rosemann and Erwin Fielt
- Vienna University of Economics and BusinesscoreKey European research partner with Jan Mendling as leading IS scholar
- KU LeuvencoreMajor European research partner in Belgium contributing to ERCIS network
- University of MünstercoreHost institution of ERCIS headquarters with multiple faculty members including Jan vom Brocke, Jörg Becker, and Bernd Hellingrath
- University of LiechtensteincoreCo-organizer of ERCIS Winter School on Advanced BPM Topics with Jan Marco Leimeister and Robert Winter from University of St. Gallen
- University of TwentecoreERCIS member contributing to Digital Transformation Competence Center and Social Media Analytics
- Stevens Institute of TechnologycoreUS partner institution with Michael zur Muehlen representing ERCIS network in North America
- University of São PaulocoreLatin American research partner with Marcelo Fantinato representing ERCIS network in Brazil
- State Fire Service Institute North Rhine-Westphalia (IdF)coreJoint host of ISCRAM 2024 conference representing the practitioner side in the 'pracademic' approach, demonstrating crisis management research-practitioner collaboration
- AI4MediacoreEU-funded AI4Media Center of Excellence associated partner supporting next generation AI research with focus on media, society, and democracy
- CLAIRE (Confederation of Laboratories for Artificial Intelligence Research in Europe)coreJoint European AI initiative supported by the Social Media Analytics Competence Center, promoting AI research in Europe
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WWU Munster competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Association for Information Systems (AIS): AIS is the premier global academic association for Information Systems researchers, operating conferences (ICIS, ECIS), journals, and member services directly comparable to ERCIS's role as an IS research network.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS): Fraunhofer IAIS is a German applied research institute with industry partnerships and AI/IS research scope that mirrors ERCIS's combination of academic research and industry advisory engagement.
- IT University of Copenhagen: ITU is a specialized IT/IS university with research focus on digital transformation, data science, and business IT — comparable in mission and applied research orientation to ERCIS partner universities.
- ISCRAM Association: ISCRAM Association is the international community behind the ISCRAM conference series on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, directly paralleling ERCIS's C3M Competence Center focus.
- Digital Society Initiative (DSI) - University of Zurich: DSI is a university-based digital society research initiative combining IS, social science, and ethics research with industry engagement — closely comparable to ERCIS's interdisciplinary model.
Broad incumbents
- IEEE Computer Society: IEEE Computer Society is a major professional organization with conferences, publications, and standards activities that overlap ERCIS's IS and crisis management standardization work (e.g., CEN CWA 17514).
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): ACM is the world's largest computing society with broader scope than ERCIS but overlapping IS research community, major conferences, and a global publication portfolio.
- SAP Research: SAP is both an ERCIS advisory board partner and a large enterprise software company with a research division conducting IS-related research; broader commercial scope but overlapping research domain.
Emerging players
- Max Planck Institute for Informatics: Max Planck Institute for Informatics is a German basic research institute with comparable institutional scale and faculty-driven research model, focused on algorithms, computer graphics, and database systems.
Regional players
- INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology): INRIA is France's national research institute for digital sciences, comparable in scope to ERCIS's digital transformation and IS research but operating primarily in France with a European mandate.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WWU Munster social profiles
Digital presenceWWU Munster financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WWU Munster leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
WWU Munster subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
WWU Munster funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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WWU Munster 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 WWU Munster
What does WWU Munster do?
ERCIS (European Research Center for Information Systems) is an academic research network hosted by the University of Münster (WWU) that connects over 30 universities and industry partners to conduct interdisciplinary research in Information Systems. It operates four Competence Centers (Crisis Management, Digital Transformation, Social Media Analytics, Smarter Work) and runs educational programs including Doctoral Consortia, PhD Club, the annual Winter School on Advanced BPM Topics, and the Master Thesis Award.
Is WWU Munster a public or private company?
WWU Munster is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was WWU Munster founded?
WWU Munster was founded in 2011. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is WWU Munster based?
WWU Munster is headquartered in Münster, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does WWU Munster make money?
One revenue line is on record: academic Research Funding.
Who are WWU Munster's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Association for Information Systems (AIS), Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS), IT University of Copenhagen, ISCRAM Association and Digital Society Initiative (DSI) - University of Zurich. Broad incumbents are IEEE Computer Society, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and SAP Research. Max Planck Institute for Informatics is listed as an emerging player. INRIA (French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology) is listed as a regional player.
Does WWU Munster have an API?
No public API is recorded for WWU Munster.
What industry is WWU Munster in?
WWU Munster's product category is Academic Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAFAA, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Advisory, with a secondary code of HDADAIAC, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Its NAICS code is 54 and its SIC code is 8700.