EUROPEAN LIGHTING EXPERT ASSOCIATION

Name

EUROPEAN LIGHTING EXPERT ASSOCIATION

Legal name

European Lighting Expert Association (ELEA)

Website

https://europeanlightingexpert.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Certification Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Design Services (BPAHAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Street Lighting & Area Lighting EPC / Maintenance (EUAEACAH), English Language Learner (ELL/ESL) Academic Intervention (EDAKADAF)

Keywords

• Lighting certification
• Professional standards
• Lighting education
• Expert accreditation
• Lighting design

Headquarters

HQ city

Olten

HQ country

Switzerland

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. ELE Registration Fees: Candidates pay registration fees to become certified European Lighting Experts. University students from recognized institutions pay €25 for ELE registration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The European Lighting Expert Association (ELEA) is a non-profit professional association that establishes a Europe-wide harmonized educational standard for light and lighting and administers the European Lighting Expert (ELE) certification. Candidates must pass standardized examinations administered by national lighting societies covering approximately 150 individual topics from basics to advanced lighting planning and design for interior and exterior applications.

Product overview

ELEA operates as a certification and standards body, not a technology product company. The organization offers a unified ELE (European Lighting Expert) certification program supported by multiple service components: an expert finder database for registered professionals, recognized university program pathways, downloadable educational resources and official documents, and coordinated examination scheduling across national lighting societies. The certification covers both Interior and Exterior Lighting specializations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• European Lighting Expert (ELE) Certification A Europe-wide harmonized certification program for lighting professionals covering Interior and/or Exterior Lighting. Candidates must pass examinations administered by national lighting societies demonstrating skills in lighting planning, design, energy efficiency, optical properties, color spectrum, lamp systems, LEDs, and light measurement across approximately 150 individual topics.
• ELE Expert Finder Database

Quantifiable outcome

• 430 registered European Lighting Experts available for hire through the searchable directory

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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Deutsche Lichttechnische Gesellschaft e.V. (LiTG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from Germany. LiTG administers the ELE examination in Germany and offers training courses through its website. Contact: Danneckerstraße 16, 10245 Berlin, Germany.
• Lichttechnische Gesellschaft Österreichs (LTG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from Austria. LTG administers the ELE examination in Austria and offers training courses. Contact: Josef-Schneider-Str. 20, 3462 Absdorf, Austria.
• Bureau NSVV (Nederlandse Stichting voor Verlichtingskunde)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from the Netherlands. NSVV administers the ELE examination in the Netherlands and offers training courses. Contact: Galvanistraat 1, 6716 AE EDE, Netherlands.
• Schweizer Licht Gesellschaft (SLG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from Switzerland and host organization for ELEA's registered office. SLG administers the ELE examination in Switzerland and offers training courses. Contact: Römerstrasse 7, 4600 Olten, Switzerland.
• Dansk Center for Lys (DCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from Denmark. DCL administers the ELE examination in Denmark. Contact: Borupvang 9, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark.
• Asociatia Romana Pentru Iluminat (ARI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member of ELEA from Romania. ARI administers the ELE examination in Romania. Contact: 10 Montreal Square, 011469 Bucharest, Romania.
• Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaft und Kunst Hildesheim (HAWK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince February 2022, HAWK's Lighting Design program has been recognized by ELEA. Students can register as ELEs based on their academic credentials. Faculty contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Cornelia Moosmann.
• Hochschule WismarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince February 2022, Hochschule Wismar's Architectural Lighting Design program has been recognized by ELEA. Faculty contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Römhild.
• Technische Hochschule RosenheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince February 2022, TH Rosenheim's Lighting Design specialty has been recognized by ELEA. Faculty contact: Prof. Mathias Wambsganß.
• Eindhoven University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince end of 2022, Eindhoven University's Physics of Light and Lighting Design (bachelor) and Lighting Technology (master) programs have been certified by ELEA. Faculty contacts: dr. ir. Mariëlle Aarts and dr. ir. Juliëtte van Duijnhoven.

Scale indicators3 records

Broad incumbents

• Global Lighting Association (GLA): International federation of national and regional lighting associations. Comparable to ELEA as a coordinating body in the global lighting profession, with members overlapping ELEA's national society partners (LiTG, SLG, NSVV).
• Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE): UK-based professional body covering building services including lighting. Issues the SLL (Society of Light and Lighting) credentials which compete with ELE for the same pool of European lighting professionals, particularly in the UK market where ELEA also lists certified experts.
• Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE): International authority on light, illumination, color, and vision based in Vienna. Comparable as a globally-recognized standards body whose work overlaps with ELEA's lighting education scope, though CIE focuses more on technical standards than individual practitioner certification.
• Illuminating Engineering Society (IES): Established North American professional society for lighting practitioners offering LC (Lighting Certified) credentials and technical standards. Comparable to ELEA as an established lighting credentialing body covering similar subject matter, though operating primarily in the US/Canada.
• Lighting Europe: European industry association representing the lighting industry at EU policy level. Adjacent peer that shares ELEA's European lighting ecosystem focus but represents manufacturers and the lighting value chain rather than credentialing individual practitioners.

Direct peers

• Professional Lighting Designers Association (PLDA): European association representing independent architectural lighting designers. Overlaps with ELEA in serving the same professional community of lighting designers across Europe and offering continuing professional development, though without a formal examination-based certification.
• International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD): Global association for independent lighting designers offering the IALD certification. Operates in the same professional credentialing space as ELEA's ELE program but with a global (not region-specific) remit and emphasis on lighting design as a discipline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-lighting-expert-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EUROPEAN LIGHTING EXPERT ASSOCIATION