Synthesis Centre For Research and Education

What Synthesis Centre For Research and Education does

Synthesis Centre For Research and Education Ltd (SYNTHESIS) is a Cyprus-based private research and education organization founded in 2002 in Nicosia, delivering social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and non-formal education programs across Europe. Its core activity is securing and managing EU-funded projects under Erasmus+ (KA2, adult education, VET, youth), Horizon Europe, AMIF, and CERV, typically as partner or coordinator within multi-country consortia; it has completed 120+ projects in the last three years and worked with 250+ European partners across 50 countries. The organization also operates an accredited Vocational Education and Training (VET) and adult-education service line, a co-working and social-innovation hub (Hub Nicosia, established as a non-profit in 2018), and a community-based refugee integration initiative (Social Cafe, launched 2019).

The technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary: the firm runs a Wix-hosted website with standard integrations (Google Analytics, MailChimp/SendinBlue/TinyLetter newsletters, Eventbrite, YouTube/Vimeo, Google Maps, Typeform) and does not offer a public API, SDK, or platform product. Its newer Data & AI Strategy Unit provides advisory and impact-measurement services rather than packaged AI technology. The revenue model is dominated by EU government grants (typical 2-3 year project cycles), supplemented by a small layer of fee-based VET training and Hub Nicosia co-working income. The firm is founder-led (George Isaias, Managing Director) and employs 11-50 people; in 2025 it received six Erasmus+ Good Practice Labels, reinforcing its credibility as a long-tenured participant in the EU social-innovation funding stack rather than as a high-growth technology venture.

Name

Synthesis Centre For Research and Education

Legal name

SYNTHESIS Center for Research and Education Ltd

Website

https://synthesis-center.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Synthesis Centre For Research and Education, founded in 2002 in Nicosia, Cyprus, secures and manages EU-funded (Erasmus+, Horizon, AMIF, CERV) projects in social entrepreneurship, non-formal education, and migrant integration, serving NEET youth, refugees, adult learners, and social-enterprise ecosystems across 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Innovation and Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Intergovernmental Education Cooperation & Bilateral/Multilateral Programs (EDADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK), Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE), Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)

Keywords

• Social innovation consulting
• EU project management
• Vocational education training
• Social entrepreneurship advisory
• Policy research evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nicosia

HQ country

Cyprus

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Project Funding: Primary revenue derives from successfully secured EU-funded project grants including Erasmus+ (KA2, adult education, VET, youth), Horizon Europe, AMIF (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund), CERV, and other European Commission programs. Projects typically run 2-3 years with consortium partners across multiple countries.
2. Vocational Training Services: As an accredited Vocational Education & Training provider and adult education center, SYNTHESIS offers enterprise support, co-working facilities, and business support to micro-enterprises, freelancers, and NGOs, particularly during their initial stages of development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SYNTHESIS Center for Research & Education delivers EU-funded social innovation, applied research, and non-formal education programs as a project-based organization headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. It coordinates and participates in transnational consortiums under Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, AMIF, and CERV programs, delivering thematic programs across youth learning, school education, VET & adult education, higher education, migrant integration, sustainable development, and health & well-being. Its flagship physical assets are Hub Nicosia (a social innovation co-working space established 2015) and Social Cafe (a migrant integration initiative launched 2019), complemented by cross-cutting policy research, evaluation, and Data & AI advisory services.

Product overview

Synthesis Centre For Research and Education operates as a unified platform of interconnected programs and services rather than a single product. The core offerings include Hub Nicosia (a social innovation co-working space) and Social Cafe (a migrant integration initiative). These are supported by specialized units covering VET & Adult Education, Youth Learning, School Education, Higher Education, Health & Wellbeing, and Sustainable Development. Cross-cutting services include Policy Research & Evaluation, Data & AI Strategy Services, and EU Project Management. The organization also provides co-working facilities and enterprise support for micro-enterprises and NGOs. Together, these services form an ecosystem approach to social innovation, combining research, education, and action to create social impact across Cyprus and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hub Nicosia: A social innovation hub and co-working space in Nicosia, Cyprus, supporting organisations, entrepreneurs and enterprises with social or environmental mission.
• Social Cafe

Products and services

• Hub Nicosia A social innovation hub and co-working space in Nicosia, Cyprus, supporting changemakers, entrepreneurs, and organizations with social or environmental missions. Provides physical workspace, business support services, and a community for impact-driven ventures.
• Social Cafe A community initiative that provides third-country nationals, refugees, and asylum seekers with workshops and a welcoming social environment. Promotes empowerment and social integration through peer learning and community support.
• Migrant Integration Services Programs promoting social inclusion and integration for refugees, asylum seekers, and people under subsidiary protection through Local Action Programmes and training activities.
• VET & Adult Education Programs Accredited vocational education and training and adult education center offering courses including care assistant training, social media skills, risk management, crisis management, and natural disaster preparedness for adult learners and workers.
• Youth Learning Programs Programs developing knowledge, values, and skills for youth inclusion, civic engagement, and economic participation, targeting primarily NEET youth and young people with fewer opportunities through social-emotional learning, micro-learning content, and gamified tools.
• School Education Services Support services for children and adolescents at risk of early school leaving, including learning difficulty assessments, mentoring for life skills development, and anti-bullying programs.
• Higher Education Consulting Advisory services for higher education institutions on internationalization, quality assurance, professional development, and alignment with circular economies and sustainable development goals.
• Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Consulting Advisory services driving the ecosystem of social enterprises in Cyprus, including policy development and implementation for social innovation and entrepreneurship, including the National Action Plan for social enterprises adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2018.
• Health & Wellbeing Programs Projects raising awareness and promoting health and wellbeing with tools and resources for vulnerable groups including migrants, refugees, elderly, and people with disabilities.
• Sustainable Development Programs Educational initiatives engaging schools, NGOs, training institutions, and communities on environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development.
• Policy Research & Evaluation Research, policy, and evaluation services provided to European Commission, governmental, non-governmental, and private institutions. Includes formative and summative project evaluations across 25+ European projects.
• Data & AI Strategy Services Services for organizations to use data responsibly, including data operational intelligence, strategic policy research, impact measurement and evaluation, and data literacy and AI training.
• EU Project Management Coordination and implementation of EU-funded projects across Erasmus+, Horizon, AMIF, and other EU programmes, managing partnerships and delivering outcomes across 50 countries.
• Co-Working & Enterprise Support Co-working space, office facilities, and business support services for micro-enterprises, freelancers, and NGOs, particularly during their initial stages of development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Six projects awarded Erasmus+ Good Practice Label in 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEQ Elevate ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024EU co-funded Social Innovation (SI+) Initiative project coordinated by Pro Arbeit – Kreis Offenbach – (AöR) Kommunales Jobcenter (Germany) with partners from Greece, Cyprus and Belgium. Aims to support vulnerable NEET youth in re-engaging in learning through social-emotional learning skills, micro-learning content, and gamified online support tools.
• Include³ ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERASMUS+ project coordinated by The University of Applied Labour Studies of the Federal Employment Agency (HdBA) in Germany with partners from Cyprus, Slovenia, Belgium focused on transitions from sheltered employment to the primary labour market for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Hub NicosiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial innovation hub and co-working space founded by SYNTHESIS in 2015, established as a non-profit entity in 2018. Houses and supports organisations, entrepreneurs and enterprises with social or environmental mission.
• Social CafecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity initiative providing empowerment and social integration for migrants and refugees. Launched through the PandPAS project (2017–2019) and continues as an ongoing activity offering free workshops and social space.
• X23 - The Innovation BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of the S.P.A.R.K.L.E. project (Supporting Professional Access through Reading Knowledge, Language learning and Employment support) involving partners from France, Italy, Cyprus and Spain.
• LAB UNIVERSITY of Applied Sciences (Finland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of APERTURE project (Alliances for Innovation) bringing together education and innovation to transform the Proptech and construction industries, with partners from Spain, Malta, Cyprus, France, Greece and Ireland.
• Miejska Strefa Kultury w Łodzi (Poland)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of Friends We Share project developing mentorship methodology connecting new asylum seekers and successfully integrated refugees, with partners from Cyprus, Portugal, and Germany.
• ADRAL (Portugal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinator of ALLON_I3 (Alliance on interregional innovation investments) funded by EISMEA for 2023-2025, aiming to increase capacity of less developed regions to cooperate with more developed countries.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSYNTHESIS developed the policy document on developing the social enterprise ecosystem in Cyprus on behalf of the European Commission and the Government of Cyprus in 2017, which formed the basis of the National Action Plan adopted by the Council of Ministers in 2018.
• European Commission / ERICSE / EMES Research NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected in 2018 to develop the country report on Cyprus in the study 'A Map of Social Enterprises and their Ecosystem in Europe.'

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: Global social entrepreneurship support organization with extensive European operations. Directly comparable in focus on social innovation ecosystems, fellow-traveler in EU social economy programming, and operator of similar hub and capacity-building programs.
• Impact Hub: Global network of social innovation co-working spaces, directly comparable to SYNTHESIS's Hub Nicosia. Both operate physical hubs that aggregate social entrepreneurs and NGOs, and both compete for the same pool of EU social innovation funding.
• Social Enterprise UK: UK national body representing the social enterprise sector, with direct programmatic parallels to SYNTHESIS's National Action Plan work in Cyprus. Comparable in policy advocacy, ecosystem mapping, and capacity building for social enterprises.
• Euclid Network: Brussels-based European network supporting social enterprise ecosystems across 25+ countries. Euclid is a direct peer in EU project management for social enterprise and inclusion, frequently co-bidding with or against organizations of SYNTHESIS's profile.
• Civitta: European consultancy headquartered in Estonia with strong EU project management practice. Comparable in participating in and coordinating Erasmus+, Horizon, and structural reform projects for the European Commission, often competing in the same calls for proposals.
• European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA): European non-profit association coordinating policy and projects in adult and vocational education, frequently engaging with Erasmus+ and Horizon programs. Directly comparable in adult education programming, VET focus, and EU project portfolio similar to SYNTHESIS's accredited VET work.
• NESsT: International organization supporting social enterprises that employ vulnerable populations, with European operations including the Visegrad region. Comparable in serving refugees, NEET youth, and marginalized groups through enterprise-led inclusion models.

Broad incumbents

• ICMPD (International Centre for Migration Policy Development): Vienna-based intergovernmental organization running large-scale migration and integration programs funded by AMIF and EU member states. Comparable as a peer in migrant integration programming, but operates at much larger scale and with a broader intergovernmental mandate.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank producing policy research and recommendations for EU institutions. Comparable in delivering policy research that shapes European Commission and member state action, similar in cross-border consortium coordination, but operates at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• European Citizen Action Service (ECAS): Brussels-based non-profit supporting citizen engagement, civic participation, and inclusion across Europe. Comparable in CERV-funded programming, focus on democratic engagement and marginalized populations, and EU project coordination profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/synthesis.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synthesiscyprus
• Instagraminstagram.com/synthesis.europe

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Synthesis Centre For Research and Education