A European Benchmark for future growth
In 2025, EnergyVille commissioned an external benchmark to better understand its position in the European energy landscape. The exercise confirmed a number of clear strengths and helped bring the next strategic choices into sharper focus.
EnergyVille has always compared itself, implicitly, with Europe’s leading energy research organisations. But how strong is that position when measured systematically against other actors in the field? That question lay behind a benchmarking study carried out by Elsevier Analytics, which was completed in 2025.
The study was designed to look beyond scientific output and citation impact alone. It also set out to quantify industrial engagement and policy relevance. To do so, it worked from thematic datasets for each of EnergyVille’s research lines, complemented by comparisons with best-in-class players in the European energy R&D landscape. The results painted a clear picture.
“EnergyVille has a strong position in the European energy research landscape,” says Kris Baert, research manager at EnergyVille, who coordinated the Elsevier analysis on behalf of the organisation. “Scientifically, we perform well. In European research funding, we perform very well. And when it comes to patents, we really stand out.”
Stronger together
The benchmark explicitly confirmed EnergyVille’s strong position in Horizon Europe and other European research frameworks. “We already knew we were doing well in attracting European projects,” the team reflects, “but the scale of that success still surprised us.” Beyond the funding itself, that is also a strong signal that EnergyVille’s open innovation model, which is built on collaboration, shared infrastructure, and a close link with society, is recognised internationally.
For Baert, collaboration between the four partner institutes is clearly a key driver. “We have seen strong growth in both income and projects over recent years,” he says. “Even if that growth cannot be attributed entirely to the collaboration itself, it still shows that there is a real leverage effect: together, you achieve more than you do separately.” According to Baert and Poortmans, EnergyVille’s unique strength lies not only in its combination of different fields of expertise, but in the shared vision that brings them together in support of the energy transition.
Valorisation as a foundation
Patents emerged as one of the most striking strengths in the benchmark. “We were genuinely surprised by how strongly our patent position stood out,” they say. “That strength confirms that EnergyVille is not only building knowledge, but also has a solid foundation for translating that knowledge into applications that can help strengthen and renew industry. It shows that EnergyVille’s open innovation model delivers results on that front as well.”
A dynamic network
By analysing EnergyVille’s research lines alongside the joint activities of its four partners, the study also highlighted where further integration or expansion could be valuable. The study turned out not only to be a measurement tool, but also a way to identify potential new partners and collaborations, both within and beyond the existing partnership.
“The benchmarking showed us how EnergyVille’s own network can continue to evolve,” explains Poortmans. “In a research landscape that is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly outside of Europe, that kind of strategic clarity is essential.”