What is AcumenIST
AcumenIST is a new consulting initiative that combines strong professional skills in the stewardship of emerging technologies along their value chains with established track records in both entrepreneurship, business development and policy making; it supports both the private and the public sector through technology-specific expertise, including (but not limited to) the following activities: technology and market analysis of all areas of science and technology, statistical and economic analyses and impact assessments, conceptualisation and conduct of (innovative) technology assessment, technology foresight and policy assessment exercises, including participatory (stakeholder engagement) exercises, due diligence and R&I planning and project management (with a focus on interdisciplinary, international consortia).
Dedicated to fostering cutting-edge research and driving impactful collaborations, AcumenIST’s unique approach blends deep technical knowledge, strategic insight, and a steadfast commitment to creating partnerships that deliver transformative outcomes.
AcumenIST’s foundation rests on the pioneering work of highly experienced professionals whose extensive track records include leadership roles in academia, industry, policy advising, and business development. Through combining classic science disciplines and industrial process engineering with new innovation concepts, technology scouting, incubation, and strategic business development, the AcumenISTs demonstrate a remarkable ability to bridge the gap between research and application, by aligning innovation strategies with market and policy trends, ensuring that every development meets both commercial and societal needs.
AcumenIST is registred under Belgian law as an SRL (société à responsabilité limitée) since June 2018, with its headquarters located in Brussels. Since Janurary 2025, AcumenIST SRL has a registered branch in Heidelberg (Germany).
Our R&I Interests & Services
We offer a comprehensive suite of services designed to empower research and innovation (R&I) initiatives, policy frameworks, and technological advancements. By connecting the right collaborators and providing strategic support, we help turn ambitious ideas into impactful realities.
Innovation Strategy & Management
- Tailoring innovation strategies to navigate complex R&I ecosystems.
- Identifying and addressing gaps in value chains to drive seamless integration.
Policy & Impact Assessments
- Conducting policy assessments, including ex-ante and ex-post evaluations.
- Providing technology and impact assessments to inform policy and innovation strategies.
Policy Information & science-based Decision-Making:
- Advocating for science-based policies that prioritize evidence-based decision-making.
- Proactively initiating new analyses and studies to address emerging risks.
- Supporting the harmonisation and standardisation of methods, and initiating information- and work-flow between R&I operators and harmonisation and standardisation committees.
Funding Expertise
- Assessing and advising on R&I funding policies to optimise impact.
- Scouting and securing funding opportunities to maximise project potential.
- Designing robust funding plans that align with both short- and long-term goals.
Consortium Building & Collaborative Workflow
- Bringing together ideal collaborators to form partnerships greater than the sum of their parts.
- Ensuring project compliance with funding- and innovation-policies.
Problem Mitigation & Management
- Proactively identifying risks and implementing effective mitigation strategies.
- Ensuring project resilience in the face of unexpected challenges.
Visibility, Branding & Public Engagement
- Strengthening corporate identity and communication strategies.
- Enhancing science and technology dissemination to reach diverse audiences.
Project Management & Administration
- Delivering efficient project execution through meticulous planning and administration.
- Managing budgets, timelines, and workflows with precision.
The AcumenISTs
Founder & Director
Dr Steffi Friedrichs has been a leading expert, policy advisor and business representative for emerging technological innovation for over 20 years.
Steffi made a name for herself as the founder and Director-General of the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) group, where she established novel, collaborative approaches to the political representation of technology-based companies.
Having thus initiated numerous large-scale public-private collaborations and created channels for industries’ contributions to both international and national regulatory processes, Steffi subsequently worked for the OECD, where she developed its definition, indicators and impact assessment of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other converging technologies, and led two international technology policy workshops on genome editing.
Wishing to support the advancement of transparent, science-based policy-making, Steffi gathered a strong track record in the establishment, development and representation of technology-based companies, and created and ran participatory technology assessment workshops. She initiated several outreach and communication initiatives to foster the public understanding of novel technologies. She was a Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Micro- & Nanotechnology Community (CMNC), Director of the Master’s Programme in Micro- and Nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge, and Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry and Solid State Chemistry at the University of Oxford.
Steffi has a GBR Ph.D. (DPhil) from the University of Oxford (UK), specializing in nanotechnology, and a DiplChem-Title from the Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany), as well as a GBR diploma in higher education (DipHE).
Associate Director
Dr Christian Seitz joined the AcumenIST SRL as Associate Director in January 2025. He has over 25 years of professional experience in the chemical and materials industry; having managed several turnaround processes for capacity debottlenecking and sustainability implementation, he later focussed on the development and implementation of novel businesses and group strategies, and the market launch of innovative products for the plastics and chemical industry and their downstream applications. In recent years, Christian was responsible for the scouting for new material and system technologies, as well as their incubation in collaborative spin-out projects.
Christian has been part of the core tam responsible for the development of the new Horizon Europe partnership “Innovative Advanced Materials for the EU (IM4EU)”; in this course, he was responsible for alignment with European and national innovation policies, and continues to oversee the relevant developments under the newly formed IAM-I Association.
Christian is a pro-bono coach and mentor for the WECONOMY start-up incubation network.
Christian Seitz studied chemistry in Leipzig and Mainz, where he also worked at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. He received his doctorate on a topic in physical chemistry. He also holds an MBA from the Mannheim Business School and ESSEC Business School, Paris.
