International Network for Economic Research

What International Network for Economic Research does

INFER (International Network for Economic Research, INFER e. V.) is a non-profit academic membership association registered in Germany as a registered association (e.V.) at Amtsgericht Ludwigshafen am Rhein under VR 51036, with its official contact address hosted at TH Koeln in Cologne and operational roots in Orléans, France. Founded in 1998, the organization serves academic economists, PhD students, and policy makers by providing a forum for research dissemination, peer networking, and career recognition across Europe.

INFER's core offerings are membership-based and publication-based rather than technology-based. The product portfolio includes an annual membership program, a Working Papers Series, INFER Briefs and an INFER Policy Brief Series, Special Issues co-published with peer-reviewed journals, books, and a structured program of live events: an annual conference (the 29th is scheduled for September 2027 in Strasbourg), workshops, debates, and webinars. Recognition is delivered through the Young Economist Award, Research Prize, and Policy Paper Award. The organization's underlying technology is a standard WordPress-based website (infer-research.eu) with self-serve membership registration and PDF-based publication distribution; no proprietary AI, data, or platform technology is in evidence.

The business model is membership-subscription-led, supplemented by event registration fees and supported by eight strategic partnerships with European academic economic research institutions (LEO, Economix, BETA, CEPN, BSE, CEFIMO, INSEEC, IEI). The organization is governed by a member-elected Board of Directors led by Chair Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso, with Treasurers Agnieszka Gehringer and Galina Kolev-Schaefer. With 7 employees and no equity funding, INFER operates as a lean, volunteer-supported academic network rather than a scaling commercial enterprise.

Name

International Network for Economic Research

Legal name

International Network for Economic Research, INFER e. V.

Website

https://infer-research.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

INFER is a European non-profit academic membership association founded in 1998 that serves economists, PhD students, and policy makers through publishing (working papers, briefs, special issues), an annual conference, workshops, webinars, and research awards, funded primarily by membership fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: INFER operates on membership fees as its primary revenue stream. Members pay to join and receive benefits including publishing opportunities, access to working papers and briefs, discounted or free conference registration, and eligibility for INFER prizes and awards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INFER is a non-profit academic research network that operates a membership-based platform for economists. It provides publication services through the Working Papers Series, INFER Briefs, Special Issues, and Books, and organizes academic events including annual conferences, workshops, debates, and webinars. The network also runs awards programs recognizing outstanding economic research contributions and facilitates knowledge exchange across European institutions.

Product overview

INFER (International Network for Economic Research) operates as a research network and publishing platform, not a traditional software product company. Its portfolio consists of membership services combined with academic publishing products including Working Papers Series, INFER Briefs, INFER Policy Brief Series, Special Issues, and Books. The organization also organizes live events including Annual Conferences, Workshops, Debates, and Webinars. A comprehensive Awards program recognizes outstanding economic research contributions. All offerings are interconnected through the membership program, which provides access to publishing opportunities, event registration discounts, and networking within the international economics research community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INFER Membership Annual membership program providing economists, researchers, and PhD students with access to INFER events, publications, publishing opportunities, networking, and eligibility for INFER prizes.
• Working Papers Series Academic working papers published by INFER covering economics, finance, international trade, macroeconomics, and related fields, distributed as PDF publications on the website.
• INFER Briefs Policy-oriented briefs summarizing recent economic research findings for practitioners and policymakers, covering topics such as macroprudential policy, sovereign credit risk, and equity fund returns in emerging markets.
• Special Issues Curated collections of research papers published in partnership with academic journals such as the Review of Finance and Banking, Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, and Eastern European Economics, on specific economic topics.
• Books Published books in the field of economics produced or supported by INFER, available through the INFER publications catalog.
• Annual Conferences Annual conferences bringing together economists to present research, network, and discuss current economic issues, hosted at rotating European venues. The 29th edition is scheduled for September 2027 in Strasbourg, France.
• Workshops Specialized workshops on topics such as macroeconomics, finance, fiscal policy, economic integration, and environmental economics, including member-organized workshops like the INFER-INSEEC-AAWE-LAREFI Workshop on Wine, Macroeconomics and Finance.
• Debates Structured discussions on economic topics providing platforms for scholarly discourse among INFER members and the broader economics community.
• Webinars Online seminars presenting recent economic research findings to a broader audience beyond INFER's in-person conference attendees.
• INFER Awards Recognition programs including the Young Economist Award, Research Prize, and Policy Paper Award for outstanding contributions in economics research.
• INFER Newsletter Regular email newsletter keeping members and non-members updated on forthcoming INFER events, recent event reports, and publication releases.

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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LEO (Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orléans)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEO (Laboratoire d'Économie d'Orléans) is listed as a strategic partner of INFER. The University of Orléans is an institutional member of INFER and hosts various INFER events. LEO collaborates with INFER on conferences, workshops, and the Master program in International Economics.
• EconomixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomix is listed as a strategic partner of INFER. This is a research center in economics that collaborates with INFER on events and research activities.
• BETA (Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBETA (Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée) is listed as a strategic partner. This is an economics research laboratory that collaborates with INFER on academic events.
• CEPN (Centre d'Économie de l'Université Paris Nord)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPN (Centre d'Économie de l'Université Paris Nord) is listed as a strategic partner. The University hosted the 22nd INFER Annual Conference as a virtual event in December 2020.
• BSE (Bordeaux Sciences Economiques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSE (Bordeaux Sciences Economiques) is listed as a strategic partner. The University of Bordeaux hosted the 19th INFER Annual Conference in June 2017.
• CEFIMO (Centre de Recherche en Finance, Banque et Commerce International)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEFIMO is listed as a strategic partner. It is associated with the Bucharest University of Economic Studies and has organized INFER special sessions at FIBA conferences.
• INSEEC Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerINSEEC Business School in Chambéry, France is listed as a strategic partner and has collaborated on workshops such as the INFER-INSEEC-AAWE-LAREFI Workshop on Wine, Macroeconomics and Finance.
• IEI (Institute of International Economics)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEI (Institute of International Economics) is listed as a strategic partner of INFER.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Verein für Socialpolitik: Germany's principal association of economists, founded in 1872, organizing annual meetings and publishing in economics. Comparable as a member-governed professional society focused on European economics research and conferences.
• International Economic Association: Global umbrella organization for economics associations that organizes the World Congress of Economists. Comparable as a membership-based international body supporting economics research exchange and conferences.
• Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR): European-based network of economists that publishes discussion papers, organizes conferences, and runs research networks. Closely comparable to INFER in serving European economists through publishing, events, and member-driven research communities.
• Royal Economic Society: UK-based professional society for economists that publishes major journals (Economic Journal) and runs annual conferences. Comparable as a membership organization supporting economics research dissemination and community-building.

Broad incumbents

• American Economic Association: The largest US economics professional association, publishing top-tier journals (AER) and hosting the AEA Annual Meeting. Comparable as a membership-driven academic society that publishes working papers, briefs, and runs large-scale events.
• European Economic Association: A large Europe-wide professional association for economists that organizes the annual EEA Congress and publishes journals. Directly comparable as a membership-based academic economics society operating in INFER's geographic core.
• Econometric Society: Global society promoting economic theory in relation to statistics and mathematics, publishing Econometrica and running regional conferences. Comparable in mission (advancing economics research via publishing and meetings) though more theoretical in focus.

Emerging players

• European Association of Labour Economists (EALE): European association dedicated to labor economics, running SOLE/EALE conferences and supporting research dissemination. Comparable in structure as a niche European economics association with membership, events, and publications.

Regional players

• European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI): European network of development research institutes that organizes conferences and working groups. Comparable as a membership-based European academic network supporting research collaboration and conferences, though focused on development economics.
• Society for Economic Dynamics: International academic society supporting research in economic dynamics, with strong US/European presence and annual conferences. Comparable as a membership-based research community organizing conferences and supporting working papers in economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/infer_research
• Facebookfacebook.com/International-Network-for-Economic-Research-INFER-190760894818835
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-network-for-economic-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Network for Economic Research