What Ercoftac does

ERCOFTAC (European Research Community On Flow, Turbulence and Combustion) is a global membership-based association founded in 1988 and administered from Bushey, United Kingdom, through its Central Administration & Development Office (CADO). It serves as a community platform connecting academic research institutes, universities, and industrial members active in flow, turbulence, and combustion, with a strong emphasis on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The association operates through a network of 17+ regional Pilot Centres (covering Europe, Brazil, and Ukraine) and 25+ Special Interest Groups covering the full spectrum of fluid mechanics topics.

Its core products are content and community infrastructure rather than commercial software. The KBwiki Knowledge Base is positioned as the world's foremost repository for industrial CFD best practice, originally developed by the EU QNET-CFD network and now maintained by ERCOFTAC under CC BY 4.0. The ERCOFTAC Classic Collection Database, started in 1995 and administered by the University of Manchester, provides validated test cases. The ERCOFTAC Book Series, published by Springer, runs 30+ volumes on proceedings and contributed works. The Da Vinci Competition (21st edition, 2026) and the newly launched Milton van Dyke Competition (2nd edition, 2026) are flagship PhD-focused events, alongside the DLES Workshop series (since 1994), the Young ERCOFTAC Spring School in Montestigliano, and SIG workshops. The associated Journal of Flow, Turbulence and Combustion provides peer-reviewed dissemination.

ERCOFTAC's business model is association-based: recurrent membership subscriptions (individual and institutional), royalty-bearing Springer book sales, and fees from industry knowledge transfer courses and seminars with separate member/non-member pricing. Specific membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. The customer base is segmented between research institutes and universities, industry members (manufacturing, energy, aerospace), and PhD students / early career researchers. Marketing is conducted through the website, newsletter, social media, the jobs board, and the annual programme of competitions and workshops.

Name

Ercoftac

Legal name

ERCOFTAC

Website

https://ercoftac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ERCOFTAC is a global membership-based association, founded in 1988, that connects research institutes, universities, and industry members working on flow, turbulence, and combustion, anchored by the KBwiki Knowledge Base, the Classic Collection Database, the Springer Book Series, and flagship competitions and workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: ERCOFTAC operates as a membership-based association. Members include Research Institutes and Industries active in flow, turbulence and combustion. Membership information is available on the website with a join-us CTA, and membership details are managed by CADO.
2. ERCOFTAC Book Series sales: ERCOFTAC Book Series published by Springer. The series documents proceedings of major ERCOFTAC meetings (conferences, workshops, Summer Schools) and contributed volumes on developments in Flow, Turbulence and Combustion.
3. Industry Knowledge Transfer Courses and Seminars: ERCOFTAC organises and charges for industry events, courses, and seminars including Best Practice Guidance Courses/Seminars and Technology Awareness Seminars/Courses. Separate payment processes exist for members and non-members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ERCOFTAC is a global membership-based association that provides research infrastructure, knowledge-sharing platforms, and community events for the flow, turbulence, and combustion research community. Its core sellable deliverables include institutional and individual membership, the Springer-published ERCOFTAC Book Series, paid industry knowledge transfer courses and seminars, and participation in workshops, competitions, and spring schools. Free access resources include the KBwiki Knowledge Base and the Classic Collection Database of test cases.

Product overview

ERCOFTAC is a global association of research, education, and industry groups focused on Flow, Turbulence and Combustion. Rather than a single unified product, ERCOFTAC offers a portfolio of resources and programs including the ERCOFTAC Knowledge Base Wiki (the world's foremost repository for industrial CFD knowledge), the ERCOFTAC Classic Collection Database (validation test cases from 1995), the ERCOFTAC Book Series published by Springer, the ERCOFTAC Da Vinci Competition and Milton van Dyke Competition for researchers, Pilot Centres representing members regionally, Special Interest Groups covering 25+ topics in fluid dynamics, ERCOFTAC Best Practice Guidelines, the Journal of Flow Turbulence and Combustion, Industry Knowledge Transfer Courses, and the Young ERCOFTAC Spring School. The association also organizes the Direct and Large Eddy Simulation (DLES) workshop series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ERCOFTAC Da Vinci Competition: Annual competition for PhD researchers in fluid mechanics and combustion
• ERCOFTAC Milton van Dyke Competition
• ERCOFTAC Knowledge Base Wiki
• ERCOFTAC Classic Collection Database
• DLES
• Young ERCOFTAC Spring School

Products and services

• ERCOFTAC Membership (Individual and Institutional) Annual membership subscription for research institutes, universities, and industry members active in flow, turbulence, and combustion. Provides access to the wider ERCOFTAC community, Pilot Centres, SIGs, publications, and member-rate pricing on courses and events.
• ERCOFTAC Book Series (Springer) Published book series in Springer 'in Association with ERCOFTAC' covering proceedings of major ERCOFTAC conferences, workshops, and Summer Schools across CFD, turbulence modelling, measuring techniques, flow visualisation, aerodynamics, combustion, geophysical and environmental flows, multi-phase flows, and laminar/turbulent/transitional flows. Sold via Springer.
• Industry Knowledge Transfer Courses and Seminars Paid industry-focused courses and seminars including Best Practice Guidance Courses and Technology Awareness Seminars, with separate member and non-member pricing. Targeted at industrial CFD practitioners and engineering teams.
• Direct and Large Eddy Simulation (DLES) Workshop Series Bi-annual workshop series on Direct and Large Eddy Simulation, held at various locations including Delft, Netherlands. Provides in-person and online participation options for researchers and industry practitioners.
• Young ERCOFTAC Spring School in Montestigliano Annual residential spring school in Montestigliano providing intensive training and networking for young researchers in flow, turbulence, and combustion fields.
• ERCOFTAC Best Practice Guidelines Structured guidance documents for CFD practitioners covering best practice in computational fluid dynamics applications. Accessible via the KBwiki and publications sections.
• Journal of Flow, Turbulence and Combustion Peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing research on flow, turbulence and combustion.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Da Vinci Competition has been running annually since ~2005, now at its 21st edition (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Manchester School of MACE - CFD and Turbulence Mechanics Research GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe CFD and Turbulence Mechanics research group at the University of Manchester School of MACE administers the ERCOFTAC Classic Collection Database, originally started in 1995. This is a core operational partnership for managing ERCOFTAC's test case data infrastructure.
• SpringercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpringer publishes the ERCOFTAC Book Series documenting proceedings of major ERCOFTAC meetings including conferences, workshops and Summer Schools. The series covers fluid mechanics topics including CFD, turbulence modelling, combustion, aerodynamics, and multi-phase flows. Published 'in Association with ERCOFTAC'.
• Pilot Centres (17+ regional nodes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPilot Centres are one of the pillars of the ERCOFTAC Association, representing members in a region or country. They include: Alpe Danube Adria, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, France Henri Benard, France South, France West, Germany North, Germany South, Greece, Iberia, Italy, Nordic, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Ukraine. The CADO serves as the contact point for Pilot Centres.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs) - 25+ groupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERCOFTAC members collaborate through Special Interest Groups on defined Flow, Turbulence and Combustion topics. Key SIGs include: Large Eddy Simulation, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Transition Modelling, Turbulence Modelling, Reactive Flows, Biomedical Fluid Mechanics, Aeroacoustics, SPH, Fluid Structure Interaction, Machine Learning for Fluid Dynamics, and many others. Coordinators include notable academics (e.g., Prof. Marianna Braza for SIG41, Prof. Paola Cinnella for SIG54). CADO serves as the contact point for SIGs.
• EU Network on Quality & Trust in the Industrial Application of CFD (QNET-CFD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ERCOFTAC Knowledge Base (KBwiki) was originally developed by the EU QNET-CFD network. After the end of this EU network, the Knowledge Base was passed on to ERCOFTAC with the remit of making it public and expanding it continuously.
• Large Engines Competence Center (LEC GmbH) and Graz University of Technology (ISW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint PhD position posted on ERCOFTAC jobs board for research on ammonia flames, combining LEC GmbH (industry engine research) with ISW at Graz University of Technology (academic fluid mechanics). The project focuses on DNS and LES of ammonia flames for sustainable large-engine concepts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights11 records

Direct peers

• International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM): Global membership organization for computational mechanics researchers, organizing the World Congress in Computational Mechanics and supporting regional chapters. Directly comparable in mission, governance, and community-of-researchers structure to ERCOFTAC, but with a broader CFD/solid mechanics remit.
• American Physical Society — Division of Fluid Dynamics (APS DFD): APS Division of Fluid Dynamics hosts the largest annual meeting in fluid dynamics research. Directly comparable peer in advancing fluid mechanics research via an annual meeting and community of academic researchers, though situated within a broader physics society.
• The Combustion Institute: International scientific membership organization dedicated to combustion research, publishing proceedings and hosting biennial symposia. Highly comparable to ERCOFTAC in mission (advancing a specific fluid-dynamics subdomain), membership model, and event-driven knowledge dissemination.
• European Mechanics Society (EUROMECH): European learned society organizing colloquia across all branches of mechanics, including fluid mechanics. Shares ERCOFTAC's European academic-association structure, member-driven events, and focus on mechanics research dissemination.

Regional players

• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS): UK-headquartered professional association for aeronautics with overlapping CFD/aerodynamics community, conferences, and publications. Comparable in mission to bridge aerospace research and industry, but primarily UK-focused whereas ERCOFTAC is pan-European/global.
• European Physical Society (EPS): Federation of national physics societies in Europe, organizing conferences and divisions including fluid dynamics-adjacent topics. Comparable European-level learned-association structure and academic-convening role to ERCOFTAC, though broader in physics scope.

Broad incumbents

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): Global mechanical engineering professional society with fluids engineering divisions, journals (e.g., Journal of Fluids Engineering), and conferences. Comparable as a membership association serving fluid-mechanics-relevant practitioners, but operating at significantly larger scale across all of mechanical engineering.
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): Large applied-mathematics professional society with activity in computational science, including CFD-relevant conferences and journals. Comparable as a learned society serving computational-research communities, though broader in mathematical scope.
• Institute of Physics (IOP): UK/Ireland-based scientific membership organization covering physics including fluid dynamics. Comparable in membership-association model and publishing activities, but with a much broader physics remit.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): Large, established aerospace professional society with overlapping CFD/aerodynamics technical committees and conferences (e.g., AIAA Aviation, AIAA SciTech). Comparable as a membership-based aerospace/fluids association, but broader in scope and much larger in scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ercoftac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Ercoftac