GFFT e.V.

What GFFT e.V. does

GFFT e.V. (Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Forschungstransfers e.V.) is a German non-profit association founded in 2006, headquartered in Bad Vilbel, Hessen, with 16 employees and a registered office in Frankfurt am Main. It operates the United Innovations platform as a network intermediary that connects mid-sized and large enterprises (e.g., Vodafone Deutschland, Siemens Healthineers, Volkswagen, NORD/LB, Deutsche Telekom, Surventis) with startups, researchers, and consultants across DACH and broader Europe. Its functional purpose is to translate academic research into commercial products and to strengthen Germany's innovation capacity, formalized in the 2017 GFFT Manifesto on Technology Transfer. The organization runs three annual summits (Industry, AI & Software, Cybersecurity) plus the German Startup Cup, Digital Innovation Boards for direct startup-to-executive presentations, and the Technology Agenda 2030 joint-development program.

The platform's technical core is UISYS, an information hub that aggregates concepts, success stories, plans, and tool evaluations from member companies across agentic AI, software, cybersecurity, logistics, and production. AskUISYS is an AI-powered query tool (with a referenced Squirro integration) that exposes this corpus via RAG-style knowledge retrieval. Around UISYS, GFFT has built five specialized Labs — AI Lab, Software Lab, Security Lab, Industry Lab, and Governance Lab — each actively developing specific products such as an agentic AI operating system, an intelligent-agent test suite, a Multi-functional Agentic Security Umbrella, UPTIME for production uptime, and the Stadtup governance app for cities. Distribution runs through summits, Digital Innovation Boards, content publications, the UISYS platform, and LinkedIn.

GFFT earns revenue through three streams: recurring membership fees for network access, transaction-based event registration fees (€950 per consultant/technology provider, €250 per startup, free for invited user-company and academic guests), and professional-services revenue from knowledge transfer outcomes booked through its wholly-owned commercial subsidiary GFFT Technologies GmbH (HRB 72644, Frankfurt am Main). Two adjacent subsidiaries — GFFT Security Lab GmbH (HRB 118160) and UI Software Innovations GmbH (HRB 128320) — host the cybersecurity and software commercial activities respectively. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Dr. Gerd Große, with Jürgen Peter as Deputy Chairman and Prof. Dr. Bernd Freisleben as Treasurer. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

GFFT e.V.

Legal name

Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Forschungstransfers e.V. (GFFT e.V.)

Website

https://united-innovations.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GFFT e.V. is a German non-profit association that operates the United Innovations platform, connecting enterprises, startups, and researchers across DACH to commercialize academic research through summits, Digital Innovation Boards, the UISYS knowledge hub, and five specialized Labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Vilbel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Organizations join the GFFT network and United Innovations platform, providing access to summits, Digital Innovation Boards, and knowledge sharing services
2. Event Registration Fees: Industry Summits, AI & Software Summits, and Cybersecurity Summits charge registration fees. Consultants and technology providers pay €950 per person, startups pay €250 per person, while invited guests from user companies and academia attend free
3. Transfer Services: GFFT provides research transfer services and manages economic activities through GFFT Technologies GmbH, generating revenue from knowledge transfer outcomes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GFFT e.V. is a non-profit innovation research institute that runs the United Innovations knowledge-transfer platform, connecting researchers, startups, and enterprises. It delivers summits, Digital Innovation Boards, the German Startup Cup, and dedicated Labs covering AI, software, security, industry, and governance, and publishes the Technology Agenda 2030. Software products such as UISYS and AskUISYS are offered through its operating subsidiaries.

Product overview

GFFT e.V. operates United Innovations as an innovation network and knowledge transfer platform, not a single product company. The core platform consists of UISYS, an information hub that includes AskUISYS as an AI-powered knowledge retrieval tool. Surrounding this are five specialized Labs (AI Lab, Software Lab, Security Lab, Industry Lab, Governance Lab) that each collect and develop innovation ideas within their domains. The ecosystem also includes programs like Technology Agenda 2030 for joint product development, German Startup Cup for startup competition, and Digital Innovation Boards for connecting innovators with enterprise executives. The Labs develop specific products such as an agentic AI operating system, intelligent agent testing tools, security solutions, and production optimization systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• United Innovations Platform
• German Startup Cup A startup program and competition operated by GFFT e.V. that provides early-stage technology startups with visibility, networking, and access to enterprise customers and academic research partners.
• Digital Innovation Boards Structured expert forums convened by GFFT e.V. where representatives from member companies, startups, and academia discuss emerging technologies and innovation topics on a recurring basis.
• AI Lab A dedicated Lab under GFFT e.V. that focuses on artificial intelligence research, applied AI use cases, and knowledge sharing for member companies, startups, and researchers.
• Security Lab A dedicated Lab under GFFT e.V., operated in conjunction with subsidiary GFFT Security Lab GmbH, that addresses cybersecurity research, threats, and best practices for member organizations.
• Software Lab A dedicated Lab under GFFT e.V. that focuses on software engineering, platform development, and the UISYS software family, supporting member organizations with applied software topics.
• UISYS Software Platform A software platform offered through GFFT e.V.'s subsidiary UI Software Innovations GmbH that supports structured information sharing within the United Innovations ecosystem.
• AskUISYS Software Tool A companion software tool to the UISYS platform, offered through subsidiary UI Software Innovations GmbH, that provides targeted access to United Innovations content and expertise.
• Technology Agenda 2030 A multi-stakeholder technology roadmap initiative published by GFFT e.V. that articulates priorities and perspectives on technology development through 2030 for members and the broader ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• GFFT Manifesto on Technology Transfer guides innovation policy and has influenced German innovation strategy since 2017
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Baden-Württemberg: Connected e.V. (bwcon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Leading business initiative for promoting the high-tech location Baden-Württemberg with approximately 600 members since 1997. Focuses on information and communication technologies (ICT) as innovation drivers for mobility, production, health, and energy sectors. Creates unique platform for cross-industry collaboration between developers, users, and investors.
• VOICE - Bundesverband IT-AnwendercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman association providing dynamic platform for professional exchange between IT executives and decision-makers. Brings together CIOs from leading companies across various industries through formats like CIO roundtables, special interest groups, and themed days.
• BAND - Business Angel Netzwerk Deutschland e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Angels network promoting early-stage financing in Germany. Vision is to achieve similar early-stage financing through business angel investments as in the USA, where business angels invest $16 billion annually compared to Germany's current level requiring 35x increase to reach $3.5 billion annually.
• PFI-D - Plattform für Innovation in DeutschlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation platform bringing together approximately 200 innovative companies and organizations since 2017. Members include large companies, SMEs, startups, research institutions, educational institutions, and public institutions. Supports cross-industry and cross-company collaboration and enables confidential knowledge exchange.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Helmholtz Association: Germany's largest scientific organization conducting research in energy, health, and information. Comparable at the mission level as a German research-to-innovation pipeline, though operating at much larger institutional scale than GFFT.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied research organization with 76 institutes conducting contract R&D for industry. Operates at much larger scale but pursues a comparable applied-research-to-commercial-application mission that overlaps with GFFT's lab-driven transfer model.

Regional players

• AI Sweden: Sweden's national AI innovation center with a member-driven model connecting industry, academia, and public sector to accelerate applied AI. Highly comparable in structure and member-driven AI innovation mission, though regionally focused on Sweden rather than Germany.

Direct peers

• Plug and Play Tech Center: A global innovation platform running startup accelerator programs, corporate innovation partnerships, and summits connecting startups with enterprise customers. Directly comparable to GFFT's combination of German Startup Cup, Digital Innovation Boards, and member-driven summits.
• Cyber Valley: A Europe-leading AI research consortium and innovation ecosystem based in Stuttgart/Tübingen connecting researchers, startups, and industry partners. Closely comparable to GFFT's AI Lab and innovation transfer mission across applied AI.
• PFI-D (Plattform für Innovation in Deutschland): A cooperation platform bringing together approximately 200 innovative companies and organizations since 2017. A direct strategic partner of GFFT with overlapping membership and similar cross-industry innovation facilitation model.
• Startupbootcamp: A global accelerator network running industry-specific programs that connect startups with corporate partners and investors. Directly comparable to GFFT's German Startup Cup and Digital Innovation Boards for startup-to-enterprise matchmaking.
• VOICE - Bundesverband IT-Anwender: A German association enabling dynamic exchange between IT executives and decision-makers through CIO roundtables and themed events. Comparable to GFFT's enterprise-executive-focused Digital Innovation Boards and CIO networking format.
• German Accelerator: Supports German startups to scale internationally through programs in Silicon Valley, New York, and Asia. Comparable in mission to GFFT's startup support functions, though focused on international expansion rather than domestic corporate matching.
• Baden-Württemberg: Connected e.V. (bwcon): A leading German business initiative promoting the Baden-Württemberg high-tech location with approximately 600 members since 1997. Operates a closely analogous network model connecting developers, users, and investors across ICT and adjacent sectors, directly comparable to GFFT's network approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GFFTeV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gfft-ev

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 GFFT e.V.