Sound in Europe
Building a competitive EU consortium? Sound helps you strengthen your proposal, demonstrate credible impact and create a clear pathway from research to real-world adoption.
From Research to Real-World Impact
We help you validate market needs, engage the right stakeholders and turn promising research into solutions people actually want, use and adopt – delivering measurable impact beyond the project’s lifetime.
From client work to consortia
Unlike traditional research or dissemination partners, Sound brings real-world business expertise into EU innovation. Drawing on our experience in TEMS, PRESENCE and XReco, we bridge the gap between technical development and with Sound’s clients – market validation and commercial exploitation.
From consortia to clients
Results from EU projects – new methodologies, technologies and networks – strengthen the services we deliver to our commercial clients.
Sectors and themes
Sound operates at the intersection of digitalisation and critical infrastructure. Our thematic focus within European projects:
- Digital telecoms networks – 5G/6G, SNS JU, testbeds and ecosystem development.
- Data spaces – shared data infrastructure, interoperability and governance.
- Energy systems & smart grids – energy transition, digitalisation and resilience.
- XR & immersive technology – XR applications, holoportation, virtual production.
- Cybersecurity & resilience – securing critical digital infrastructure.
Our approach: Exploitation as a discipline, not a deliverable
Sound leads Work Packages for Impact Maximization within Horizon Europe and Digital Europe consortia. In practice that means: identifying Key Exploitable Results (KERs), developing exploitation plans, engaging the right stakeholders and moving results toward market readiness – from TRL 4 to TRL 6 and beyond.
We make a clear distinction between three activities that are often conflated in EU projects:
- Dissemination – making scientific results known to the research community.
- Communication – reaching predefined target groups with project results and milestones.
- Exploitation – creating value from results: commercialisation, licensing, policy uptake, spin-offs. This is our specialism.
Our methodology combines Human-Centred Design, market validation, business model development, stakeholder engagement, exploitation planning and capacity & community building.
6 European projects
completed, active and pipeline.
2 European memberships
EAIC and 6G-IA
A portfolio of six projects
From completed projects to consortia launching this year – Sound builds its European portfolio systematically, deepening its expertise with every project.
Active
PRESENCE: Innovation Action
XR & immersive technology · corporate training, heritage, healthcare
TEMS: Research & Innovation Action
Data spaces · media sector, virtual production
Sound contributes to one of eight product trials and leads the exploitation strategy for a European data space for the media sector. Our focus is on end-user adoption, governance models and the route to sustainable exploitation of the shared digital marketplace.
2 new projects - started in August 2026
Sectors: 6G / Smart Networks & Services · XR & immersive technology
Sound has joined two new European consortia in August 2026. The projects sit in the 6G / Smart Networks & Services and XR & immersive technology sectors. Further details will be published once the projects are officially underway.
Completed
Innovation action
Completed
XR & immersive media · news media, tourism, mobility
Sound led the Impact Maximization Work Package: exploitation strategy, HCD validation, capacity & community building and identification of Key Exploitable Results. The consortium brought XR content together in a data-driven ecosystem with models for data monetisation and rights management.
The impact section of the project proposal received a perfect score from EC evaluators.
Horizon 2020
Completed
Social VR & immersive experiences · predecessor to PRESENCE
Sound was brought in to fix a failing innovation management track following a weak EC mid-term review. Sound rebuilt the entire innovation management approach from the ground up – from KER identification to exploitation plan and stakeholder engagement. The final EC review was strongly praised, with specific recognition of the turnaround in innovation management.
Turnaround delivered: from a weak mid-term score to an excellent final EC review on innovation management.
Member of two leading European organisations
Sound holds active membership of two European industry bodies directly aligned with our work. These memberships reflect our commitment to the broader European innovation and technology ecosystem – beyond individual projects.
EAIC: European Associaton of Innovation Consultants
The European professional body for innovation consultants active in European R&I projects, promoting professional standards and knowledge exchange across 28 European countries.
6G-IA: 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association
The voice of European industry and research for next generation networks and services. 6G-IA represents the private side of the SNS Joint Undertaking and shapes Europe’s 5G/6G research and standardisation agenda.
Work with Sound
Already a Sound client?
Find out how EU-funded projects can accelerate your innovation agenda – and how results flow back into your organisation.
Consortium coordinator?
We are available as WP lead for Impact Maximization in Horizon Europe and Digital Europe consortia. Let’s talk.