What ACI Association des Conseils en Innovation does

ACI (Association des Conseils en Innovation) is a French non-profit professional association governed by the law of July 1, 1901. Founded in 2012 through the merger of ASCOFI (2007) and UNATRANTEC (1984), it federates 65 specialized innovation consulting companies representing more than 3,000 professionals engaged in the strategic, financial, and operational support of innovative projects in France, Europe, and internationally. The association is led by a Board of Directors; Frédéric Grévaud has served as President since September 2023, with Nathalie Brossier as Director General. Its three stated objectives are to support innovation financing, promote the innovation consulting profession, and serve as the reference interlocutor for public authorities.

ACI operates exclusively as a membership organization with no proprietary technology product. Its service surface consists of publications and guides (European project mounting guides, innovation financing recommendations, policy papers), networking and community services (events, commissions, general assemblies), and advocacy and policy influence activities (open letters, regulatory engagement, surveys such as the ODOXA study of 342 innovative companies). Member admission follows a structured four-step process (interview with the Director General, exchange with a commission head, consultation with commission members, Board validation), and all members accept a binding code of conduct covering confidentiality, transparency, duty of advice, loyalty, and responsibility.

The association's revenue model is subscription-based, derived entirely from membership dues calculated using two criteria: a one-time entry fee ('droit d'entrée') and an annual fee scaled to each member's 'Effectif global d'Innovation' (total headcount working on innovation consulting activities). ACI maintains strategic partnerships with French and European institutional actors including Bpifrance, ANR, the Médiation des Entreprises, AFNOR Normalisation, ADEME, France Biotech, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises, ANRT, IRIIG, and the Enterprise Europe Network. It is also a founding member of the European Working Group of Innovation Consultants (EWGIC), extending its advocacy footprint to EU-level programs such as Horizon Europe and the EIC Accelerator.

Name

ACI Association des Conseils en Innovation

Legal name

Association des Conseils en Innovation

Website

https://asso-conseils-innovation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACI is a French non-profit professional association founded in 2012 that federates 65 specialized innovation consulting firms and over 3,000 professionals, providing publications, advocacy, and public-policy influence on innovation financing in France and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: ACI generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by its 65 member consulting companies. The dues are calculated based on two criteria: an entry fee (droit d'entrée) and the 'Effectif global d'Innovation' (total innovation workforce) of the member company. This is a recurring annual revenue stream tied to membership status.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ACI is a French professional association that federates 65 specialized innovation consulting companies (3,000+ professionals) and offers them a structured membership program (entry fee plus innovation-workforce-based annual dues), a member directory, a code of conduct and ethics framework, advocacy and policy dialogue with French and European public authorities, and collective knowledge production in the form of publications, guides, and surveys on innovation financing instruments.

Product overview

ACI Association des Conseils en Innovation is a professional association that federates 65 specialized consulting companies representing over 3,000 professionals. The organization does not offer a unified technology product; rather, it provides publications, guidelines, advocacy services, networking events, and policy recommendations for its member companies in the innovation consulting sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACI Membership Program for Innovation Consulting Firms

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 out of 10 companies (90%) judge public innovation support devices useful or very useful
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANR is France's national research agency. ACI maintains a strategic dialogue with ANR as a key public institution shaping French research and innovation policy. ACI has published guides on partnering with ANR for SMEs.
• BpifrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBpifrance is the French public investment bank and key operator of innovation financing devices (CIR, JEI, France 2030). ACI has a partnership convention with Bpifrance and collaborates on supporting companies' access to innovation financing.
• Médiation des Entreprises (Médiateur des entreprises)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Médiation des Entreprises (Business Mediator) oversees the referral system for specialized CIR-CII (Research Tax Credit and Innovation Tax Credit) advisors. ACI supports and participates in this system, with Dominique Carlac'h and Pierre Pelouzet presenting the referral system at joint events.
• AFNOR NormalisationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFNOR is France's standards organization. ACI is partnered with AFNOR Normalisation for standards-related activities in the innovation consulting domain.
• ADEME (Agence de la Transition Écologique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerADEME is France's environment and energy management agency. ACI is listed as a partner on its website, indicating collaboration on environmental innovation topics.
• France BiotechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance Biotech is an association representing innovative health companies. ACI is listed as a partner alongside France Biotech on the ACI website.
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises (ARAE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises is the regional development agency for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. ACI collaborates with ARAE on European program events (EIC Accelerator briefings, Horizon Europe workshops) and regional innovation initiatives.
• ANRT (Association Nationale de la Recherche Technique)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANRT is France's national association for technical research. ACI is listed as a partner alongside ANRT on its website.
• IRIIGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRIIG is a partner of ACI, collaborating on events such as open house mornings and innovation-related activities.
• ODOXAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerODOXA is a public opinion research firm. ACI partnered with ODOXA to conduct an unprecedented survey of 342 innovative companies on the usefulness and impact of public innovation financing devices. The results were published and presented at events, with coverage in La Tribune.
• European Working Group of Innovation Consultants (EWGIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACI is a founding member of the EWGIC, a European consortium of innovation consulting associations. EWGIC publishes position papers on European programs (EIC Accelerator, Horizon Europe) and advocates for professional project management recognition in EU framework programs. The EWGIC issued a position paper on COVID-19's impact on the EIC Accelerator.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACI co-authored the European project mounting guide with EEN and regional development agencies (Hauts-de-France Innovation Développement, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises), contributing to facilitating SMEs' access to European programs.
• Hauts-de-France Innovation DéveloppementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional innovation development agency that co-authored the European project mounting guide with ACI and Enterprise Europe Network.
• Xerfi SpécificminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerXerfi Spécific conducted the 'Baromètre de la Relance' (Relance Barometer) study for ACI, surveying 581 SMEs and ETIs on the effectiveness of France Relance innovation support devices.
• Comité RichelieuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACI was a partner of the POC (Proof of Concept) morning organized by the Comité Richelieu, presenting the POC guide developed with contributions from the Business Mediator and partners.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MEDEF: France's largest employer federation representing all French businesses. Comparable as a French business association with policy advocacy functions, but far broader in scope than ACI's innovation consulting niche; Dominique Carlac'h (ACI Honorary President) is also a MEDEF VP.
• CGPME / CPME (Confédération des PME): French confederation representing small and medium-sized enterprises, including innovative firms. Comparable as a French business association providing advocacy, but serves a much broader constituency than ACI's specialized innovation consulting membership.

Direct peers

• France Biotech: French association of innovative health/life sciences companies. ACI is an explicit partner; comparable as a French innovation-focused trade association providing advocacy, networking, and policy influence for member firms in a specific innovation vertical.
• CICF (Chambre des Ingénieurs-Conseils de France): French chamber representing engineering consulting firms. Closely comparable structure: federates consulting firms, sets ethical standards, and engages public authorities on engineering/innovation policy — directly parallel to ACI's role in innovation consulting.
• Syntec Numérique (now Numeum): French federation representing digital services and technology consulting firms. Directly comparable as a professional trade body federating French consulting companies with policy advocacy, ethics charters, and institutional dialogue functions similar to ACI's.
• ANRT (Association Nationale Recherche Technique): French national association for technical research and industry-academia collaboration. Listed as an ACI partner; parallel structure as a French professional association bridging research/innovation communities with policy.
• Comité Richelieu: French association of innovative SMEs and their investors. ACI is an explicit partner and co-organizes events with Comité Richelieu; comparable as an innovation-focused French trade association providing advocacy, networking, and policy influence.
• EWGIC (European Working Group of Innovation Consultants): European consortium of innovation consulting associations co-founded by ACI. Direct peer as the supranational umbrella of which ACI is a founding member, providing parallel trade-body functions at the EU level (Horizon Europe, EIC Accelerator advocacy).

Others

• AFNOR Normalisation: France's national standards body, listed as an ACI partner. Comparable as an institutional standards/quality infrastructure player but operates as a public-interest body rather than a member-driven trade association.
• Bpifrance (Expertise network): French public investment bank operating innovation financing devices (CIR, JEI, France 2030). Listed as a core ACI partner; comparable as an institutional stakeholder shaping French innovation policy but operates as a public agency rather than a member association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aci-association-des-conseils-en-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 ACI Association des Conseils en Innovation