Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH

What Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH does

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH is an Austrian private limited company (GmbH) founded and led by Dipl.-Ing.in Dr.in Bente Knoll, headquartered in Vienna's 17th district (Diepoldplatz 6/18) with an additional operating location in Zwingendorf. The firm specializes in integrating gender and diversity perspectives into research, planning, and organizational development across domains that are typically perceived as "gender-neutral"—including urban and landscape planning, transport and mobility research, technology and engineering sciences, environmental and sustainability research, and R&D projects. Its service portfolio spans six thematic areas (Mobility; Technology Application and Transfer; Green Planning, Living and Housing; Environment and Sustainability; Gender Equality & Change Processes; Gender Dimensions in Research Content) delivered through research projects and studies, consulting, training, participation/process accompaniment, evaluation, lectures and teaching, and publications (books, reports, guides).

The firm operates a B2B professional services model, delivering project-based consulting and research to research teams, universities, research institutions, companies, municipalities, and public organizations, primarily in Austria with involvement in EU-funded initiatives such as Horizon 2020 and Austrian energy/climate programs (Klima- und Energiefonds, FFG). Direct client relationships are the primary distribution channel; additional marketing runs through the firm website, newsletters, webinars (with a dedicated YouTube playlist), and conference presentations such as REAL CORP 2025 and SUM-Forum 2025. Pricing consists of quote-based project fees for services plus fixed retail prices for publications—e.g., €16 for books like Gender Planning and Gender Studies in den Ingenieurwissenschaften, and €14 for Zukunftsfähige Berufe (including VAT, plus shipping). Revenue mechanics therefore combine grant-funded and client-funded research/consulting engagements with a small but recurring publication sales line.

The company operates with a small interdisciplinary team of approximately 5–7 staff drawn from landscape and transport planning, gender research, organizational development, media design, and consulting. Founder Bente Knoll is a recognized Gender & Diversity Expert and 2022 Käthe-Leichter-Preis laureate, and the firm is registered in the Austrian public contractor registry (ANKÖ) and is a Premium Member of the Charta der Vielfalt. There are no external investors, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no patents or trademarks, and no disclosed revenue figure in the source data.

Name

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH

Legal name

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH

Website

https://b-nk.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH is an Austrian consultancy integrating gender and diversity perspectives into urban planning, mobility research, environmental/sustainability research, and organizational change projects for research institutions, universities, companies, and municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability and gender consulting services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK)

Keywords

• Gender mainstreaming consulting
• Sustainability research services
• Diversity advisory services
• Urban planning consulting
• Organizational development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research and Consulting Services: Project-based consulting and research services for research teams, institutions, companies, universities, municipalities and organizations regarding change processes toward sustainable development and gender equality.
2. Publications Sales: Sale of publications including books (e.g., Gender Studies in den Ingenieurwissenschaften at 16€ incl. VAT plus shipping, Zukunftsfähige Berufe at 14€ incl. VAT plus shipping).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH is a Vienna-based consultancy that conducts research projects and studies integrating gender and diversity perspectives into research design, methodology, and knowledge transfer. It accompanies research teams, universities, companies, municipalities, and other organizations through change processes toward sustainable development, climate, energy, and mobility transition, and gender equality, and delivers training, publications, participation/process accompaniment, evaluation, and lectures in these fields.

Product overview

Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH operates as a consulting and research firm offering specialized services in gender and diversity, sustainable development, mobility research, urban planning, and environmental sustainability. The company's service portfolio consists of research projects and studies, consulting services, training programs, participation and process accompaniment, evaluation services, and academic lectures. The offerings are organized around six thematic project areas: Mobility (Mobilität), Technology Application and Transfer (Technikanwendung und -vermittlung), Green Planning, Living and Housing (Grünes Planen, Wohnen und Leben), Environment and Sustainability (Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit), Gender Equality and Change Processes (Gender Equality & Veränderungsprozesse), and Gender Dimensions in Research Content (Gender Dimensionen in Forschungsinhalten). Publications including reports, guides, and books serve as deliverables from their research activities. The company does not offer a software product; all offerings are consulting and knowledge services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Recognition as successful UN Decade Project (2007) by Austrian UNESCO Commission for scientific preparation of Gender Equality in Education for Sustainable Development

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RaumRegionMensch GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Spatial planning and regional development consultancy partner in the Raum, Grün & Gemeinden project, contributing to the pilot implementation of greening integration into Austrian spatial planning regulations.
• AEE InteccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Energy technology institute partner in the Energy WITH Spirit project. AEE Intec (Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien) contributes expertise in renewable energy systems and sustainable technology implementation for the solidarity-based energy community project.
• Diakonie Bildung gem. GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Diakonie education organization partner in Energy WITH Spirit project, focusing on educational aspects of the energy transition and vulnerable population inclusion.
• Diakonie Eine Welt gem. GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Diakonie One World organization contributing to the solidarity-based energy community with focus on social justice and vulnerable population participation.
• Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst gem. GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Diakonie refugee service organization partner ensuring inclusion of vulnerable refugee populations in the energy transition through Energy WITH Spirit project.
• Dipl.-Ing. Ralf Dopheide e.U.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Independent landscape planning consultant contributing expertise in landscape and spatial planning for green infrastructure and climate adaptation projects including Energy WITH Spirit and Raum, Grün & Gemeinden.
• Evangelisches Superintendentur A.B. WiencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Protestant church superintendent in Vienna participating in Energy WITH Spirit project, providing infrastructure and community networks for energy community implementation.
• Evangelisches Haus Hadersdorf WobesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Protestant facility in Hadersdorf providing premises for energy community implementation as part of the Energy WITH Spirit project consortium.
• Schülerheim Bad Goisern GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Student residence in Bad Goisern serving as pilot location for the solidarity-based renewable energy community in the Energy WITH Spirit project.
• TRIGONplan Planungs- und Beratungsgesellschaft für Landschaftsökologie und Technischen Umweltschutz GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Landscape ecology and environmental planning consultancy contributing technical expertise for green infrastructure and climate adaptation measures.
• Klima- und EnergiefondscoreOthers · 1 March 2023Austrian Climate and Energy Fund providing funding for the Energy WITH Spirit project and Raum, Grün & Gemeinden initiative as part of Energy Transition 2050 programs.
• Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG)coreOthers · 1 March 2023Austrian Research Promotion Agency providing funding support for the Energy WITH Spirit project under Austrian energy research programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Factor X – Ingenieurbüro für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften: Munich-based sustainability consultancy focused on climate, resources, and circular economy, providing strategy and process consulting to municipalities and organizations. Comparable as a small, specialized sustainability/systems consultancy serving public-sector and organizational transformation clients in the DACH region.
• B.A.U.M. Consult GmbH: German sustainability and environmental consultancy providing advisory, project management, and research support to municipalities, companies, and associations on climate, energy, and transformation. Directly comparable as a DACH consulting firm helping organizations navigate sustainability and energy-transition change processes.
• ZSI - Centre for Social Innovation: Vienna-based research and consulting institute working at the intersection of social science, technology assessment, and innovation policy, with strong expertise in gender and diversity integration in research. Comparable as an Austrian/ZSI-sized institution applying social-science methods to technical and policy questions.
• Joanneum Research: Austrian non-profit applied research institute that conducts interdisciplinary research with societal and gender dimensions for public and private clients across mobility, sustainability, and regional development. Directly comparable as an Austrian, project-based research-and-consulting outfit serving institutional clients on similar thematic areas (mobility, sustainability, urban planning).
• ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research: Frankfurt-based research institute conducting transdisciplinary, practice-oriented research at the intersection of social and ecological sustainability, including mobility, energy, and water research. Comparable as a small/medium applied research consultancy integrating sustainability with social-science perspectives.
• ÖIR GmbH (Austrian Institute for Regional Studies): Vienna-based research and consulting institute specializing in regional development, mobility, and spatial planning for Austrian and EU clients. Comparable as an Austrian small/medium research-and-consulting firm working on mobility, urban planning, and EU-funded projects — a close thematic peer.
• IFZ – Interdisziplinäres Forschungszentrum für Technik, Arbeit und Kultur: Graz-based interdisciplinary research institute working on technology, work, and culture with projects on mobility transition, gender, and regional development. Comparable as an Austrian small research-and-consulting firm applying interdisciplinary methods to technical and societal transformation questions.

Broad incumbents

• AIT Austrian Institute of Technology: Large-scale Austrian applied research organization that integrates gender and sustainability dimensions into technology research and offers mobility, energy, and urban systems consulting. Comparable as an Austrian institution operating in adjacent thematic domains, but at significantly greater scale and broader scope than B-NK.
• IIASA – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis: Vienna-area international research institute conducting systems analysis on energy, climate, and population dynamics, often incorporating demographic and social perspectives. Comparable as a substantial Laxenburg/Austria-based research organization, but operating at much larger scope and scale than B-NK.
• GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences: Large German research infrastructure institute providing social-science research, methods, and consulting including gender and inequality research. Comparable for its gender/diversity research expertise and survey/methodology consulting, though operating at much larger scale and broader academic scope than B-NK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLqco-jT4fauLJa52xTENA5gQccc4eV7FT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b-nk

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 Büro für nachhaltige Kompetenz B-NK GmbH