Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship - Ionian University

What Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship - Ionian University does

The Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Κέντρο Καινοτομίας & Επιχειρηματικότητας, ΚεΚΕ) is a publicly decreed unit of Ionian University, a Greek public higher-education institution, established by Government Gazette on 16 June 2021 and headquartered at the Ionian Academy building in Corfu. It operates as a non-commercial academic service center providing entrepreneurship education, business training, acceleration support, technology-transfer services, and career networking to students, researchers, and faculty of the university, while also serving as the lead coordinator for externally funded European innovation projects.

Its core offerings are organized around six service lines: business training (workshops, courses, seminars/webinars), business mobilization and exploration (student innovation competitions and hackathons), business acceleration, technology transfer (via a Technology Transfer Office handling IP and spin-offs), and networking & career services. The Innoverse Digital Innovation Platform, launched in 2024, is the center's proprietary digital backbone for managing innovation challenges, competitions, events, and community engagement. Internally it runs two undergraduate courses ('Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age' and 'Business Planning') and two workshop cycles focused on business plan development and research-output exploitation.

The center is funded entirely through non-dilutive public sources, primarily the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Higher Education Initiative — including the €1.34M PIONEER+ project (Cohort 4, running to April 2027) — together with Greece's Recovery and Resilience Fund ('Greece 2.0' / ARISTEIA program) and historical ESPA/NSRF structural funds. All services are provided free of charge to the Ionian University community, and the center generates no commercial revenue. Its external role is principally as the lead consortium partner in pan-European university networks (DIN-ECO across 6 countries, PIONEER+ across 6 universities and 4 business partners), positioning it as a regional innovation broker connecting Greek academia with European entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Name

Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship - Ionian University

Legal name

Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ΚεΚΕ) - Ionian University

Website

https://cie.ionio.gr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ΚεΚΕ) is a Greek public university center at Ionian University in Corfu that delivers free entrepreneurship training, technology-transfer, and career services to its own students, researchers, and faculty, and serves as lead coordinator of EU-funded projects such as PIONEER+ and DIN-ECO.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Innovation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAHAH

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Business Schools & Management Institutes

SECONDARYEDAHAEAG

Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAEAH

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

SECONDARYEDAHABAH

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAMAHAJ

Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Entrepreneurship & Business Enrichment

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education services
• Technology transfer support
• Innovation training programs
• Academic business incubation
• University research commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Corfu

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Funding - EIT HEI Initiative: The center receives funding through the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Higher Education Initiative programs. The PIONEER+ project received €1.34M funding for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in higher education through digital transformation.
2. National Recovery and Resilience Plan: The ARISTEIA project is funded through the SUB.2 'Universities of Excellence' action from the Recovery and Resilience Fund 'Greece 2.0'
3. ESPA Operational Programme: Funded through European Social Fund and NSRF for supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and maturation activities

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ΚεΚΕ) operates as a public university center delivering entrepreneurship education, business acceleration, technology transfer, and career/networking services to students, researchers, and alumni of Ionian University. It runs workshops, courses, seminars, student innovation competitions, and hackathons, and operates the Innoverse digital platform to manage innovation challenges, competitions, and community engagement. Its services are free to the Ionian University community and funded by EU and national programs.

Product overview

The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ΚεΚΕ) of Ionian University operates as a comprehensive innovation and entrepreneurship support ecosystem comprising multiple interconnected services. The core offerings include Business Training Programs (workshops, courses, seminars, webinars) delivered by market practitioners, a Business Acceleration service for promising ventures, a Technology Transfer Office handling IP protection and spin-off support, and a Networking & Career Office for student and graduate career services. The Center runs Student Innovation Competitions and Innovation Hackathons in key sectors (Biosciences, Digital Tourism & Culture), with winning teams advancing to acceleration services. Educational products include two undergraduate courses ('Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age' and 'Business Planning') plus specialized workshops on business development and research exploitation. The Innoverse Digital Innovation Platform serves as the digital hub for innovation challenges, competitions, and community engagement. The Center also coordinates major EU-funded projects including DIN-ECO (digital innovation capacity building) and PIONEER+ (€1.34M EIT-funded entrepreneurship and digital transformation initiative).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innoverse: Digital Innovation Platform developed for the Strategic Research Plan for Excellence and Innovation at Ionian University, aimed at strengthening digital capabilities and modernizing vocational education and training

Products and services

• Business Acceleration Service Acceleration services for promising business ideas emerging from competitions and hackathons, helping student and researcher startups progress from concept to market-ready ventures. Target audience: students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs in the Ionian University community.
• Technology Transfer Office (Γραφείο Μεταφοράς Τεχνολογίας) Systematic documentation of institutional research activity, promotion of research outputs, intellectual property protection, and support for new venture and spin-off creation. Target audience: Ionian University researchers and faculty.
• Networking & Career Office (Γραφείο Διασύνδεσης και Σταδιοδρομίας) Career guidance and information services for students and alumni, including job listings, postgraduate program information, scholarship updates, and career counseling. Target audience: students and graduates of Ionian University.
• Student Innovation Competition Annual student competition in innovation and entrepreneurship targeting teams with business ideas, offering training, market evaluation, and progression to acceleration services. Target audience: student teams at Ionian University.
• Innovation Hackathon Marathon innovation events for students and researchers focused on Biosciences (bioinformatics, agri-food biotechnology) and Digital Tourism and Culture. Target audience: students and researchers across multiple disciplines.
• Innovation & Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Courses Two undergraduate courses: 'Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age' (Winter Semester) and 'Business Planning' (Spring Semester), delivered through the Informatics and Tourism departments with hybrid in-person and online access. Target audience: Ionian University undergraduate students.
• Seminars and Webinars Seminars delivered by market representatives including entrepreneurs, startup executives, incubator/accelerator representatives, and venture capital advisors, covering topics such as design thinking, lean startup methodology, and crowdsourcing. Target audience: students, researchers, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Workshops on Business Planning and Research Exploitation Two cycles of specialized laboratory courses: first cycle covers business plan development methodologies and tools; second cycle focuses on research output exploitation including intellectual property, startup legal frameworks, and spin-off development. Target audience: students and researchers.
• Innoverse Digital Innovation Platform Digital ecosystem platform developed for the ARISTEIA project, supporting innovation challenges, competitions, activities, events, and educational materials for the Ionian University innovation community. Target audience: students, researchers, and academic staff.
• DIN-ECO Pan-European Innovation Competition Pan-European student competition in Digital Technologies, Digital Health, and Manufacturing across Denmark, Greece, Italy, Poland, Serbia, and Turkey, coordinated by Ionian University. Engaged over 300 students trained and 45 student teams in hackathons. Target audience: university students across partner countries.
• PIONEER+ Project EIT Higher Education Initiative project (Cohort 4) with €1.34M funding, focused on strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in European higher education through digital transformation, led by Ionian University with 6 European universities and 4 business partners. Target audience: students, researchers, and staff of consortium universities.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• LOTUS Project ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2026Joint workshop with LOTUS project at CCI Colmar to strengthen collaboration. Both projects supported by EIT Higher Education Initiative. Collaboration aims to maximize impact and create stronger innovation ecosystems across Europe.
• Digital Green Jobs Srl (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• Warsaw University of Life Sciences (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• Lazarski University (Poland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• A.B. Institute of Entrepreneurship Development Ltd (Cyprus)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• Université de Haute-Alsace (France)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Hosted joint PIONEER+ and LOTUS workshop at CCI Colmar. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• Universität Trier (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2025Partner in PIONEER+ project consortium. Participated in two-day working meeting in Corfu October 2025.
• PIONEER+ Consortium (6 European Universities + 4 Business Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2025The center coordinates the PIONEER+ project as lead partner, with consortium including 6 European universities and 4 business partners. Total funding of €1.34M under EIT HEI Initiative (Cohort 4). Project focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship capacity building through digital transformation.
• EIT DigitalmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2024EIT Digital Athens Office opening event. Ionian University participates as representative of DIN-ECO project under EIT Digital KIC. Discussion of expanding cooperation for future innovation support activities at regional, national, and European levels.
• DIN-ECO ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2022The center coordinated the DIN-ECO project (Boosting Digital Innovation & Transformation Capacity of HEIs in an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem) with partners across 6 countries: Ionian University (lead), Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Found.ation Maker's Place, University of Parma, A.B. Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, University of Nis, Aalborg University, Fondazione Fenice Onlus.
• National Bank of Greece (NBG Business Seeds)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPromotion of 16th Innovation & Technology Competition of NBG Business Seeds program. Students and startups encouraged to participate in competition for innovative tech solutions.
• Science2BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal consultant organization providing seminars on technology transfer and business maturation for researchers under the ARISTEIA project.
• Orange Grove HellasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness accelerator providing expertise for entrepreneurship maturation seminars under ARISTEIA project.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EIT Digital: Pan-European Knowledge and Innovation Community focused on digital transformation. The Center has an active partnership with EIT Digital's Athens office; EIT Digital operates at much greater scale across Europe and shapes the broader funding ecosystem in which the Center operates.
• MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship: MIT's flagship university-based entrepreneurship center. Far larger and more established, it offers a benchmark for what a mature academic entrepreneurship ecosystem can deliver in training, competitions, and venture creation.

Direct peers

• Imperial College Enterprise Lab: Imperial College London's university-wide entrepreneurship support unit. Offers training, mentoring, competitions, and venture creation programs to students and researchers — structurally aligned with KeKE's full-stack service model.
• PoliHub — Politecnico di Milano Startup District: Italy's leading university-based innovation hub, also part of an EIT HEI consortium. Runs acceleration, training, and venture programs from a public technical university, making it a strong European structural peer for benchmarking scale and outcomes.
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki — Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACEin AUTH): Another Greek university-level innovation and entrepreneurship center, structurally analogous to KeKE. Operates training programs, hackathons, and acceleration services aimed at AUTH students, competing for the same EIT HEI and Greek national grant pools.
• NTUA Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NTUA EESTech): National Technical University of Athens's student-driven EESTech chapter and associated entrepreneurship activities. Comparable as a Greek public-university vehicle running hackathons, competitions, and innovation training aimed at tech students.
• ACEin — Athens Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AUEB): Athens University of Economics and Business's entrepreneurship center, the closest Greek counterpart in mission and structure. Operates as a university-based hub offering training, mentoring, and startup support to AUEB students and researchers, directly comparable to the Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Others

• Found.ation: A Greek innovation ecosystem builder and consortium partner in the DIN-ECO project. Functions as an adjacent ecosystem enabler — providing maker-space and community infrastructure rather than direct university entrepreneurship services.
• Orange Grove Hellas: A Greek startup accelerator, listed as a partner providing expertise for ARISTEIA project seminars. Comparable as an adjacent acceleration actor that the Center refers promising ventures toward, but not a direct university-embedded peer.
• Science2Business: A Greek consulting organization that delivers technology transfer and business maturation seminars to the Center's researchers under the ARISTEIA project. Acts as an external service provider rather than a competing university center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-of-innovation-entrepreneurship-ionian-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/cie_ionio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship - Ionian University