Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V.

Name

Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V.

Legal name

Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V.

Website

https://ism-mainz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mainz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU/ESF Project Funding: The institute receives significant funding from European Social Fund (ESF) programs including ESF+ for multiple German states (Rhineland-Palatinate, Hessen, Saarland) in various funding periods. These are collaborative programs with government administrative bodies.
2. Federal Ministry Contracts: Research and evaluation contracts from German federal ministries including BMAS (Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs) and BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) for programs such as rehapro, IQ integration program, and Bildungsketten initiative.
3. State Ministry Contracts: Direct contracts with state ministries (Ministerium für Arbeit, Soziales, Transformation und Digitalisierung RLP; Hessisches Sozialministerium; Ministry for various other federal states) for program evaluation, coordination, and policy development.
4. Municipal/Local Government Contracts: Contracts with municipalities, jobcenters, and local government bodies for specific project evaluations, consultation, and coordination services.
5. International/Erasmus+ Projects: European funding for transnational projects including Erasmus+ programs (SOCIAL SEED, VIFRE, RitA) involving international consortium partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V. (ism) is a nonprofit research institute that conducts applied social-policy research, program evaluation, and advisory services. Its core work focuses on labor-market integration, migration and mobility counseling (e.g., the Faire Mobilität program), vocational training, youth and education policy, and the coordination of EU-funded research projects for public-sector clients.

Product overview

Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V. (ism) is a research institute that does not offer a single unified technology product, but rather provides a portfolio of advisory, consulting, and research services focused on labor market integration, migration, vocational education, and social policy. The core offerings include coordination of the IQ Netzwerk Rheinland-Pfalz (integration through qualification), IQ Fachstelle Migrantenökonomie (migrant economics), IQ Service Gesundheitsberufe (healthcare professionals), and the ism-Beratungsstelle (recognition counseling for international healthcare professionals). Additional services encompass diversity management projects like DIM-Pflege, international projects such as SOCIAL SEED and Resilient Futures, evaluation and monitoring services for ESF programs, and scientific accompaniment of youth job agencies and training market monitoring. These services work together within thematic competence fields including Labor Market and Social Policy, Youth/Education/Career, Future of Work, Potentials of Plural Society, and International Projects. The institute primarily serves public authorities, jobcenters, educational institutions, and organizations involved in integration and labor market policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IQ Netzwerk Rheinland-Pfalz: State-level network within the federal 'Integration durch Qualifizierung' (IQ) program, coordinated by ism, focusing on sustainable labor market integration of people with migration backgrounds.
• ism-Beratungsstelle

Products and services

• Applied Social-Policy Research & Program Evaluation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80% of SGB II recipients require support due to complex needs, with health impairments being a key factor
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Netzwerk Unternehmen integrieren Flüchtlinge (NUiF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ism became member of Germany's largest corporate network for labor market integration of refugees with over 4000 member companies; aligns with ism's projects addressing people with migration background
• ITA Institut für Technologie und Arbeit e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Founding member of Forschungsverbund rehapro, a research consortium accompanying 15+ model projects in the federal 'Innovative Wege zur Teilhabe am Arbeitsleben' (rehapro) program; jointly conducts evaluation and policy development
• Lawaetz-Stiftung HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Member of Forschungsverbund rehapro research consortium; contributes expertise in labor market policy evaluation
• SÖSTRA BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Member of Forschungsverbund rehapro research consortium; contributes social research and evaluation expertise
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Project coordinator for Resilient Futures; ism provides strategic, conceptual, and methodological support for refugee entrepreneurship support funded by Citi Foundation; targets metropolitan regions Nuremberg and Frankfurt
• jumpp – Frauenbetriebe e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021German partner implementing workshops and advisory services for refugee entrepreneurs in Frankfurt metropolitan region as part of Resilient Futures project
• aau e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021German partner implementing workshops and advisory services for refugee entrepreneurs in the Nuremberg metropolitan region as part of Resilient Futures project
• ASOCIACION CON VALORES (Spain)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Spanish partner in SOCIAL SEED Erasmus+ project; co-develops incubator model for socially disadvantaged persons
• F. INITIATIVES (Spain)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Spanish partner in SOCIAL SEED Erasmus+ project; contributes social innovation expertise
• ANZIANI E NON SOLO (Italy)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Italian partner in SOCIAL SEED Erasmus+ project; contributes elderly care and social services expertise
• SOCIAL LAB (Italy)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Italian partner in SOCIAL SEED Erasmus+ project; contributes social innovation and startup support expertise
• BISER (Poland)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Polish partner in SOCIAL SEED Erasmus+ project; contributes Central European social entrepreneurship perspective
• VIFRE Consortium Partners (France, Ireland)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Seven partners from France, Ireland, and Germany developing e-learning platform for refugee entrepreneurship planning across Germany, Ireland, and France under Erasmus+ program
• IFRI - Istituto Romano per la Formazione ImprenditorialemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Italian partner in NEMESI project for identifying skilled worker needs and developing qualification solutions for SMEs in ICT and Green sectors; part of European network exchange
• CREA - Confederación de Empresarios de AragónmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Spanish employer association partner in NEMESI project; contributes business perspective for skilled worker qualification development
• RDA Senec-PezinokmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Slovak regional development agency partner in NEMESI project; contributes Eastern European perspective on skilled worker mobility
• Eichenberg Institut GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Project RitA lead partner responsible for coaching, consultation, and transnational exchange organization for long-term unemployed with psychological impairments; project funded by BMAS and ESF
• CarMen gGmbH (Caritas)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Project RitA partner providing employment training and internship opportunities for target group participants
• Arbeit & Leben gGmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership in IQ Netzwerk Rheinland-Pfalz with 25+ sub-projects across 14 implementing organizations; joint work on labor market integration of migrants through the 'Integration durch Qualifizierung' program funded by BMAS and ESF
• Caritasverband Koblenz e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership in IQ Netzwerk RLP; Caritas contributes counseling and integration services for migrants in the Rhineland-Palatinate region
• DRK - Deutsches Rotes Kreuz Landesverband Rheinland-Pfalz e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership in IQ Netzwerk RLP; contributes humanitarian integration services and migration support
• Handwerkskammer KoblenzcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership in IQ Netzwerk RLP; provides vocational training and recognition support in the skilled trades sector
• Hochschule KaiserslauterncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Partnership in IQ Netzwerk RLP; contributes academic expertise and coordinates with university-level integration programs

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• prognos AG: Basel/Berlin-based policy research and consulting firm providing evaluation, impact assessment, and program accompaniment for German federal ministries and EU institutions. Comparable in evaluation methodology and federal client base, but organized as a commercial consulting firm rather than a nonprofit.
• infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft: Bonn-based social and market research institute conducting policy evaluation, labor market research, and transport/social surveys. Directly comparable to ism in evaluation methodology, federal/state ministry clientele, and ESF program accompaniment work.
• Institut für Sozialforschung an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt: Frankfurt-based social science research institute with a long history of policy-oriented social research. Direct peer in social-science methodology, policy evaluation, and federal-state advisory work, though anchored in an academic rather than nonprofit association structure.
• ITA Institut für Technologie und Arbeit e.V. Kaiserslautern-based research institute specializing in labor market, technology, and work-organization research. Direct peer through co-founding membership in the Forschungsverbund rehapro consortium with ism, conducting parallel federal program evaluation work.
• WZB Berlin Social Science Center: Berlin-based social science research institute conducting empirical research on labor markets, migration, education, and inequality. Direct peer in social-science methodology and policy relevance, though larger and primarily academic in orientation.
• Lawaetz-Stiftung Hamburg: Hamburg foundation running labor-market policy evaluation and project accompaniment programs. Direct peer through rehapro consortium partnership and shared work on ESF program evaluation for northern German federal states.
• SÖSTRA Berlin: Berlin-based social research institute focused on labor market and social policy evaluation. Direct peer via Forschungsverbund rehapro consortium membership and comparable work on ESF program accompaniment and federal ministry contracts.
• DJI Deutsches Jugendinstitut: Munich-based federal research institute for children, youth, and family policy. Direct peer in youth-transition research and educational policy evaluation, with comparable funding mix of federal ministry contracts and EU project grants.

Broad incumbents

• IAB Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung: Nuremberg-based research arm of the German Federal Employment Agency conducting labor-market research at significantly greater scale. Serves overlapping federal ministry clients but operates as an established public-sector incumbent with broader portfolio and larger staff.
• Rambøll Management Consulting: Global consulting firm with a substantial German public-sector practice in labor-market policy evaluation, ESF program management, and social policy advisory. Operates as a broader incumbent across multiple industries rather than specializing in ism's nonprofit research niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institut-f%C3%BCr-sozialp%C3%A4dagogische-forschung-mainz-e-v

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 Institut für Sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V.