Vodafone Institute

What Vodafone Institute does

Vodafone Institute is the European think tank of Vodafone Group, established in 2012 and headquartered in Berlin (with the legal entity Vodafone GmbH registered in Düsseldorf). The organization focuses on the digital and green transformation of European economies and societies, producing research publications, policy papers, surveys, and discussion papers on topics including digital economy, artificial intelligence governance, sustainability, digital skills, and network infrastructure. Its core outputs are freely distributed via its website (vodafone-institut.de) and include multi-country representative surveys such as the Digitising Europe Pulse (15 EU countries, 15,000 respondents via Kantar) and Democracy in the Age of AI (12 European countries via Kantar, 2025), as well as policy briefs co-authored with European Policy Centre and Universität Bonn. The institute also convenes dialogue through its AI&I vTalk series and the annual Digitising Europe Summit, featuring figures such as Angela Merkel and global AI researchers. There is no proprietary technology product, no AI/ML system development, and no commercial software offering.

Name

Vodafone Institute

Legal name

Vodafone GmbH

Website

https://vodafone-institut.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vodafone Institute is the European think tank of Vodafone Group, producing free research publications, multi-country surveys, and policy papers on digital transformation, AI governance, and sustainability for European policymakers, businesses, academia, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA), Science, Technology & Innovation Administration (National R&D Policy) (BPAIAAAK)

Keywords

• Policy research publications
• Digital transformation research
• Sustainability policy studies
• European think tank
• Technology society dialogue

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Think Tank Operations (Vodafone Group Funding): Vodafone Institute is funded by Vodafone Group and operates as its European think tank. The organization does not charge for its publications, events, or research outputs. Revenue is derived from parent company funding rather than commercial product or service sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vodafone Institute produces and publishes free research studies, policy papers, and surveys on digital transformation, AI governance, sustainability, and the digital economy for European policy makers, businesses, and academia. It also convenes expert dialogue through the AI&I vTalk series and the Digitising Europe Summit, distributing all outputs at no cost via its website, newsletter, and YouTube livestreams.

Product overview

Vodafone Institute is the European think tank of Vodafone Group, focused on the digital and green transformation of economy and society. The institute operates as a research organization that produces and publishes studies, policy papers, surveys, and discussion papers on topics including digital economy, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and network infrastructure. The core offering consists of research publications covering European perspectives on AI and democracy, digital trade dependencies, ICT patent trends, and digital sustainability metrics. The institute also facilitates dialogue through its AI&I event series featuring expert discussions on AI and society. The research output is made freely available through their publications portal and targets policymakers, business leaders, and academia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications
• Democracy in the Age of AI Study
• EU Digital Decade Policy Brief
• Digital Patent Decline Report
• Subsea Infrastructure Strategy Paper
• SEED Index
• AI&I Event Series
• Refurbished Smartphone Study

Quantifiable outcome

• SEED Index 2023: German companies leveraging 53/100 points of digital potential for sustainability and profitability
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Universität BonncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026University of Bonn cooperates with Vodafone Institute on policy research analyzing Europe's digital dependencies. The collaboration produces policy briefs examining Europe's digital trade balance, ICT patent performance, and digital sovereignty challenges. The one-year partnership aims to provide assessments of Europe's digital capabilities development and implications for economic and political autonomy.
• KantarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Kantar conducted representative surveys in 12 European countries for the 'Democracy in the Age of AI' study. The research examined citizens' perspectives on AI's impact on democratic processes, media trust, and political engagement. Survey period was February-April 2025 with representative sampling across European populations.
• European Policy CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025European Policy Centre authored the discussion paper on EU subsea cable strategy in cooperation with Vodafone Institute. The paper resulted from two roundtables in Spring 2025 plus interviews with policymakers, industry representatives, and experts. Contains 10 proposals for strengthening EU Action Plan on Cable Security.
• Wuppertal InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Wuppertal Institut authored the discussion paper 'Circularity as the Service' on smartphone lifecycle sustainability for Vodafone Institute. Research showed extending smartphone usage to 5-7 years could reduce emissions by 50% and identified 60% of consumers as open to longer device use.
• AccenturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Accenture prepared the SEED (Sustainable Economic Efficiency through Digitalisation) Index 2023 for Vodafone Institute. The study measured how German companies reduced CO2 emissions and increased profitability through digital technologies, establishing a 53/100 index score for digital sustainability potential.
• KantarcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Kantar conducted the Digitising Europe Pulse survey on EU Recovery Funds across 15 EU countries with 15,000 respondents. Research revealed European public attitudes toward the Recovery and Resilience Facility and digital priorities for economic recovery.
• eco – Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Eco association partnered with Arthur D. Little and Vodafone Institute on AI potential study for German economy. Research identified 488 billion euro AI potential by 2025 based on 150 use cases, with 70% from cost savings and 30% from sales potential.
• Arthur D. LittlecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Arthur D. Little collaborated with eco and Vodafone Institute on AI economic potential study. Analysis covered sectors including Retail, Energy, Telecommunications, and Industry 4.0 applications.
• IpsoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2018Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the 'Tech Divide' global study on technology acceptance and digital skills across 9 countries including Germany, China, India, USA, and European markets. Survey of 9,000 participants examined employee digital readiness for future jobs.
• IW Consult GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2018IW Consult served as scientific partner for the study 'On the way to the Gigabit Society' examining broadband expansion effects on German economy. Regression analyses showed 11.2% of German economic growth attributable to gigabit connection spread.
• Data-Pop AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Data-Pop Alliance (created by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, MIT Media Lab, and Overseas Development Institute) collaborated on Big Data ethics roadmap. Emmanuel Letouzé developed a 12-point plan for responsible corporate Big Data use, engaging experts including European Data Protection Supervisor Giovanni Buttarelli.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): Pan-European think tank producing policy research and convening events across EU member states. Shares Vodafone Institute's model of multi-country survey research, policy paper publication, and cross-sectoral dialogue, though ECFR focuses more on geopolitics and foreign policy than digital transformation specifically.
• Bruegel: Leading European economic policy think tank based in Brussels producing research on European economy, digital policy, and AI governance. Directly comparable to Vodafone Institute in its policy research orientation, European geographic focus, and convening role, though Bruegel operates with a larger research team and more diversified funding base.
• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): One of the oldest EU policy think tanks, producing research on digital policy, AI governance, and European integration. Comparable to Vodafone Institute in its Brussels-facing policy research output and focus on EU regulatory matters, though CEPS operates with substantially more researchers and broader funding sources.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank conducting policy research on EU integration, digital economy, and strategic autonomy. Already a Vodafone Institute partner on subsea cable strategy work, EPC shares comparable thematic focus on EU digital sovereignty and produces similarly structured policy papers and discussion documents.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung: Large German foundation-funded think tank producing research on European policy, digital economy, and sustainability. Highly comparable to Vodafone Institute in its German base, policy research orientation, and corporate-adjacent funding model (Bertelsmann Group), though operating at significantly larger scale with hundreds of employees.

Broad incumbents

• DigitalEurope: Brussels-based industry association representing the European digital technology sector. Comparable to Vodafone Institute in its EU digital policy focus and stakeholder convening role, though DigitalEurope operates as a trade association representing vendor interests rather than producing independent policy research.
• McKinsey Global Institute: Global research arm of McKinsey producing economic and technology policy research. Comparable to Vodafone Institute in its survey-based methodology, macroeconomic analysis of digital transformation, and quantification of economic impact (e.g., SEED Index parallels MGI's digital economy reports), though operating at global scale with commercial funding model.
• World Economic Forum (WEF): International organization producing research and convening leaders on global issues including digital transformation, AI governance, and sustainability. Comparable to Vodafone Institute in its cross-sector convening model and policy research on technology's societal impacts, though WEF operates globally and at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Ada Lovelace Institute: UK-based AI ethics and data governance research organization. Comparable to Vodafone Institute's AI ethics work and democracy-focused research, particularly the 'Democracy in the Age of AI' thematic overlap, though Ada Lovelace operates as an independent charity rather than a corporate-affiliated think tank.
• Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV): Berlin-based think tank focused specifically on digital policy, AI governance, and technology regulation. Directly comparable topical focus with Vodafone Institute, particularly on AI ethics and democratic impacts of technology, though SNV is an independent non-profit without corporate parent funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vodafone-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Vodafone Institute