Fondazione ICONS

ICONS boosts research impact on society through public communication, knowledge valorisation, social and business innovation

ICONS is a key strategic partner in EU-funded Research & Innovation projects. Our expertise sits at the crossroads of science communication, social innovation and business innovation, and we work with researchers, companies, public institutions and other R&I stakeholders to turn research results into measurable societal, economic and environmental impact — guiding projects across the full innovation journey, from understanding complex challenges through socio-economic and stakeholder analysis, to designing tailored strategies, delivering hands-on project management and support, and empowering clients to sustain long-term impact.

With more than 25 years of experience (founded in 1999), ICONS has contributed to 150+ EU-funded projects — including 92 Horizon Europe projects (RIAs, IAs, CSAs, Missions), 24 H2020 and 23 FP7 projects — and delivered 16 service contracts for the European Commission and EU Agencies, including as contracting partner of the Horizon Results Booster (DG RTD). ICONS is part of a pan-European network of 500+ partner organisations spanning universities, research centres, industry, public authorities, investors and civil society.

Our work is organised around three complementary areas of expertise.

Science Communication supports researchers and consortia in reaching scientific, policy, industry and societal audiences through visual identity, storytelling, multimedia production and dissemination strategies, measuring engagement impact through ICONS' proprietary Community Engagement Index (CEI).

Social Innovation embeds human-centric, participatory approaches into research and innovation — societal and needs analysis, co-creation, Living Labs, policy design and social impact assessment — ensuring solutions are relevant, inclusive and usable in real societal contexts.

Business Innovation supports the exploitation, scalability and long-term sustainability of research results, helping innovations move from validated outcomes to market- and system-ready solutions. Beyond exploitation and IP/IPR management, the unit designs scaling and replication strategies grounded in innovation readiness and maturity assessment, and supports project consortia in identifying and structuring funding and financing pathways — from blended finance and public procurement to private investment routes — to bridge the gap between piloted results and real-world deployment. Economic analysis is central to this work: the unit conducts cost-benefit and economic impact assessments to evidence the value proposition of research outcomes for investors, public bodies and health systems, and applies behavioural economics and social/technology acceptance frameworks (e.g. TAM, UTAUT) to understand and address the real-world adoption barriers that purely technical or financial analysis can miss. This is complemented by market and ecosystem analysis, regulatory and policy-barrier identification, business modelling and scenario planning, and strategic consulting and capacity building for both project consortia and public/private organisations seeking to strengthen their own innovation and business processes.

ICONS' domain coverage spans health, energy, circular economy, cities and communities, agriculture and food, environment and climate, security, and emerging technologies. In health, our Business Innovation unit brings this integrated approach to Horizon Europe Cluster 1 and Widening/Twinning-funded projects, supporting stakeholder engagement, scaling readiness and the development of implementation pathways to help innovative solutions move from research into system-level adoption — work directly relevant to the goals of the EU Cancer Mission.

Beyond research and innovation projects, ICONS also manages two philanthropic initiatives — the European Union Baroque Orchestra and Theresia Orchestra — turning music into a tool for community building, young musicians' development and cultural cohesion, recognised with awards including the REMA "Business Innovator of the Year" (2024) and multiple .eu Web Awards.