Innovation has become one of the most critical functions in organizations. We see this every day working with some of Europe’s most ambitious innovation teams. It’s what can make or break a business. Yet most teams have to make key decisions about structure, funding and priorities, without reliable data to back them up.
Innovation leaders may have the experience and know-how of what has worked (or not) in the past, and used that to guide decisions. And while intuition and experience certainly matter, they work best when guided by information, data, and real insights.
The only problem is that this evidence doesn’t exist - until now. It's a gap we've felt ourselves, and echoed by the teams we work with.
We’ve come together with nlmtd and MT/Sprout to close that gap, and to help innovation teams make stronger, more informed decisions, backed by real evidence.
We’re calling on European innovation teams to have their say in the first ever State of Innovation 2026 study. Europe's first benchmark study that will map how innovation teams are structured, funded, and measured.
Building a Stronger Innovation Ecosystem
Too often, innovation teams make big calls without knowing how others handle the same challenges. The desire to learn from each other is there, the data just hasn’t been.
Open innovation is the key to a thriving innovation ecosystem. It’s what will strengthen our field.
When innovation teams share how they work, what they've learned, and what's actually driving results, the whole ecosystem benefits. Knowledge flows across industries. And teams raise their game.
Europe’s First Benchmark for Innovation Teams
In our inaugural study, we’re giving innovation teams what the field has been missing - a structured look at how their peers are doing innovation, what’s been working, and the inspiration to see what’s possible.
The State of Innovation Benchmark will gather data from 100+ European innovation teams, covering the full innovation system:
Strategy & Portfolio: How organisations prioritize and manage their innovation pipeline.
Structure & Governance: What team models and reporting structures deliver the most impact.
Collaboration & Ecosystem: Which partnerships and collaboration patterns actually make a difference.
Performance & Metrics: The KPIs that predict innovation success, with European baselines.
Culture: How top performers build environments where everyone in the organization genuinely wants to join in and gets excited about innovation.
Future Outlook: Where Europe's leading innovation teams are placing their next bets.
The research team will go beyond survey data with in-depth interviews and podcasts to dissect the findings.
Have your voice heard
Joining the study puts you and your organization on the map of European innovation. And it comes with meaningful benefits for your own team.
Personalized benchmark report: A custom read on how your team measures up against 100+ peers, showing you exactly where your term performs well and where there is room to grow.
Access to the full report: Get your hands on the full report before anyone else and a headstart look at how your teams can improve areas in their innovation function.
An exclusive invite to the launch event: Mix and mingle with the wider innovation community and be among the first to access the findings with a roundtable and discussion with peers from across Europe.
Built for innovators, by innovators
We’ve been in the game for 15+ years and have helped co-create this study with nlmtd and MT/Sprout drawing on decades of combined experience in innovation.
Together, we understand what innovation teams need, and what has been missing. But the real power of this benchmark study comes from the community behind it.
We need innovation teams to join the movement, share their experience, and help shape the most comprehensive picture of European innovation.
