European Institute For Local Development (EILD)

What European Institute For Local Development (EILD) does

European Institute for Local Development (EILD) is an independent non-profit association registered in Thessaloniki, Greece, founded in 2009 to bridge European policy and local implementation. The organisation operates as a consortium lead and partner for EU-funded projects, with a cumulative track record of more than €45M in EU funding secured across 120+ projects spanning 24+ European countries. EILD is active across 11 EU funding programmes — including Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, AMIF, CERV, Interreg, the LIFE Programme, EEA Grants and the Union for the Mediterranean — serving municipalities, regional governments, EU institutions, NGOs, universities and civil society networks.

EILD maintains five proprietary digital platforms developed in-house: Connected4Development (a partner matchmaking and network collaboration platform), Local Pulse (a city discovery platform for Thessaloniki), the EU Projects KPI Toolbox (a SaaS reporting and benchmarking platform used by 500+ organisations across 27 EU countries, with AI-assisted analysis), ENA (an Erasmus+ needs assessment tool that converts EU statistics into application-ready reports), and the EILD Sports microsite. The technology stack is differentiated by domain specialisation rather than novel AI capability, with structured-data KPI tracking and Eurostat benchmarking as the core analytical layer.

The business model is predominantly project-grant funded through EU programmes, supplemented by technical assistance, consultancy and free network membership services via Connected4Development. EILD generates revenue by coordinating or joining multi-partner EU consortia, delivering work packages, and providing dissemination, reporting and capacity-building services to municipalities and NGOs. Distribution occurs primarily through the Partnership Pipeline (public pipeline of upcoming calls), Partnership Hub (3-business-day response for partnership enquiries) and direct enterprise relationship management, rather than traditional product sales. The organisation employs a multidisciplinary leadership team across its Thessaloniki headquarters and Athens office and is OLAF-compliant for financial management, with Erasmus+ eligibility since 2015 and Horizon Europe beneficiary status since 2023.

Name

European Institute For Local Development (EILD)

Legal name

European Institute for Local Development (EILD)

Website

https://eurolocaldevelopment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

European Institute for Local Development (EILD) is a Greek non-profit institute founded in 2009 that acts as a consortium lead and partner for EU-funded projects across 11 programmes (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, AMIF, CERV, Interreg, LIFE), serving municipalities, EU institutions, NGOs and universities through a verified 270+ partner network across 34 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

EU Project Coordination & Local Development Consulting

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Erasmus+ and Government-Sponsored Exchange Partnerships (EDAIABAJ)

Keywords

• EU project management
• Consortium coordination
• Local development consulting
• European funding advisory
• Partnership brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Thessaloniki

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Project Grants: EILD generates revenue primarily through EU-funded project grants, acting as consortium coordinator or partner. Funding sources include Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, AMIF, CERV, Interreg, LIFE Programme, EEA Grants, and Union for the Mediterranean. Total EU funding secured exceeds €45M across 120+ projects.
2. Technical Assistance & Consultancy: EILD provides technical assistance, methodological support, and help disseminating project outputs across European networks. These services support municipalities, NGOs, universities, and civil society organisations.
3. Network Membership Services: Network members receive first access to EILD's platforms, tools, and sector microsites, alongside project portfolio and Partnership Pipeline access. Membership is free via Connected4Development platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

EILD coordinates and delivers EU-funded projects as a consortium lead or partner across programmes including Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, CERV, AMIF, Interreg, and LIFE. The institute provides technical assistance, consortium building, and project management services to municipalities, NGOs, universities, and EU institutions. Additionally, EILD develops and maintains proprietary digital platforms for partner matchmaking, KPI tracking, and needs assessment that serve 500+ organisations across the EU.

Product overview

EILD develops and maintains its own digital platforms, tools, and sector microsites — distinct from its EU-funded project portfolio. The product portfolio comprises five named offerings: (1) Connected4Development — a network collaboration and partner matchmaking platform for EU project consortia; (2) Local Pulse — a city discovery and community engagement platform focused on Thessaloniki; (3) EU Projects KPI Toolbox — a SaaS KPI management and reporting tool for Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and other EU programmes, featuring AI-powered performance analysis; (4) EILD Sports — a sector microsite aggregating sport-themed EU projects; and (5) ENA (Erasmus+ Needs Assessment) — a needs assessment report generator for Erasmus+ applicants. These platforms are owned, developed, and maintained by EILD itself and are offered as open infrastructure to consortium partners and network members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connected4Development: Collaborative platform for network collaboration, partner matchmaking, and development cooperation connecting organisations, communities, and individuals across Europe and beyond.
• Local Pulse
• EU Projects KPI Toolbox
• EILD Sports
• ENA - Erasmus+ Needs Assessment

Products and services

• Connected4Development Network collaboration and partner matchmaking platform connecting organisations, communities, and individuals across Europe and beyond. Focuses on social economy, culture & creativity, youth empowerment, ethical & circular economy, and digital inclusion & AI.
• Local Pulse Living city discovery platform for youth and communities in Thessaloniki, Greece, featuring interactive maps with 99+ curated places, Pulse Paths (themed city routes), volunteering opportunities, and community stories.
• EU Projects KPI Toolbox SaaS platform for managing and reporting on European-funded projects supporting 10+ EU funding programmes including Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, InvestEU, European Solidarity Corps, LIFE Programme, Digital Europe, and EU4Health. Features pre-built KPI templates, EU Benchmarking against Eurostat data, AI-powered analysis, and automated EU Commission-format report generation.
• EILD Sports Dedicated microsite for the sport sector gathering EILD's Erasmus+ Sport projects, partners, and tools for grassroots clubs, federations, and municipalities working through sport.
• ENA — Erasmus+ Needs Assessment Digital tool that transforms official EU statistics into professionally crafted needs assessment reports for Erasmus+ applications, covering all programme types from KA1 through Erasmus Mundus.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ EU-funded projects successfully delivered since 2009
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CNR (Italian National Research Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in Horizon Europe projects including healthRiskADAPT. CNR contributes scientific expertise on climate adaptation and environmental research.
• ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing expertise in new technologies, energy, and sustainable economic development across EU projects.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApplied research partner in Horizon Europe healthRiskADAPT project, contributing to climate adaptation and health risk assessment research.
• NILU (The Climate and Environmental Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead scientific partner in healthRiskADAPT Horizon Europe project. NILU provides climate and environmental research expertise.
• LSE (The London School of Economics and Political Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Horizon Europe healthRiskADAPT project, contributing political science and governance expertise.
• FHI (Norwegian Institute of Public Health)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health research partner contributing expertise on health impacts of climate change including heatwaves and air pollution.
• HOPE (European Hospital and Healthcare Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean healthcare federation partner contributing to health risk adaptation projects and policy dialogue.
• EASPD (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean federation partner working on social inclusion, disability rights, and service provision for persons with disabilities.
• Tavistock Institute (The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based research institute contributing expertise in human relations, social development, and organisational capacity building.
• NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing research and higher education expertise across EU project consortia.
• Maastricht UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university partner contributing academic expertise in law, governance, and social sciences.
• UCSC (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian university partner contributing educational and social science research expertise.
• INCHES (International Network for Children's Health, Environment & Safety)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network partner contributing expertise on children's health, environment, and safety in EU projects.
• SENSEAIR ABcoreTechnology or IntegrationAir-quality sensor manufacturer providing technology for climate adaptation and environmental monitoring projects.
• VFA Solutions B.V.coreTechnology or IntegrationClean-air technology company contributing to health risk adaptation projects with innovative air quality solutions.
• Dideas S.L.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish social innovation SME and partner in PoWER project focusing on women's entrepreneurship.
• ARGUS TeknolojicoreTechnology or IntegrationTurkish digital innovation and training technology company contributing to PoWER and other digital projects.
• PetanuxcoreTechnology or IntegrationGerman AI and data-science SME providing technology expertise in digital transformation projects.
• Caritas NorwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian humanitarian organisation contributing to social inclusion and migration projects.
• SOLETERRE (International humanitarian foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian humanitarian foundation acting as lead beneficiary in NEW WO.R.L.D.S. project against human trafficking.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Yellow Window: Yellow Window is a Belgian management consulting firm specialising in EU education, culture, and youth programmes, including Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe. It is comparable to EILD in its focus on EU programme consulting, consortium building, and education-sector delivery.
• Technopolis Group: Technopolis Group is a France- and Netherlands-based consulting firm that supports EU research and innovation policy, including Horizon Europe evaluation and implementation studies. It is comparable to EILD in working with EU institutions and research partners on programme delivery and impact assessment.
• PPMI: PPMI is a Lithuania-based research and consulting firm that supports EU policy evaluation, research, and project management across European institutions. It is directly comparable to EILD in helping organisations navigate EU funding frameworks and managing multi-partner research consortia.
• Civitta: Civitta is an international consultancy founded in the Baltics with a strong EU funding and innovation practice supporting SMEs, cities, and public institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. It is comparable to EILD in advising local actors on EU grant applications and managing cross-border project portfolios.
• Spatial Foresight: Spatial Foresight is a Luxembourg-based consultancy supporting EU territorial development, cohesion policy, and place-based innovation projects. It overlaps with EILD in helping municipalities and regions access EU structural and thematic funds, and in building cross-border project consortia.
• Particip e.V. Particip is a Freiburg-based consultancy that advises municipalities, NGOs, and public administrations on accessing EU funds, designing projects, and managing implementation. It is comparable to EILD in its mission of helping local actors navigate European funding programmes and build consortium partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte EU Funding & Grants Advisory: Deloitte operates an EU Funding and Grants Advisory practice helping public and private clients identify, apply for, and manage EU funding across multiple programmes. It is a broad incumbent relative to EILD: it serves similar EU grant management needs but as part of a global consulting portfolio rather than a local-development specialist.
• EY-Parthenon EU Advisory: EY-Parthenon has an EU Advisory practice supporting clients in securing and managing EU funds, with strong focus on cohesion policy and Horizon Europe. Comparable to EILD as a broad incumbent offering EU grants advisory as part of a wider strategy consulting business.
• ECORYS: ECORYS is a large international research and consulting company with deep expertise in EU policy, funds evaluation, and programme implementation across cohesion, education, and social policy. It is a broad incumbent relative to EILD because it covers similar EU funding advisory work as part of a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• European Policy Centre (EPC): EPC is a Brussels-based independent think tank producing EU policy analysis and convening stakeholders across institutions, regions, and civil society. It is comparable to EILD in engaging EU institutions, municipalities, and civil society on European cooperation, though EPC is more policy-analysis oriented and less project-delivery oriented.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-institute-for-local-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/eurolocaldevelopment

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about European Institute For Local Development (EILD)