Your definition. Your data.
No rigid categories. A custom data foundation with a global perspective.
The future has no industry code.
AI, Industry 4.0, hydrogen: innovation ecosystems emerge across the entire economy. We make them visible. With scientifically grounded, current microdata for your decisions.
For decision-makers in
MinistriesAssociationsEconomic developmentResearch
Beyond the industry code
Look beyond the label.
webAIIndustry codes
Artificial intelligence: Industry: AI quality inspection. Software: Learning systems. Mobility: Route optimization. Energy: Demand forecasting. Healthcare: AI image analysis. Research: AI research
Industry codes separate. Technology connects.
Illustrative activities, not live company data.Trusted by research and the public sector
01 / THE BLIND SPOTS
New questions. Old data sources.
Traditional data sources were designed for a different era. Every study built on them inherits the same blind spots.
What an industry code sees
WZ 28
A machinery manufacturer
ManufacturingWhat your question reveals
webAI
AI-assisted quality inspection
Same industry. Different capabilities.
Cross-cutting technologies such as AI cannot be identified by a single industry code. A manufacturer using AI is difficult to distinguish from one that does not.
02 / FROM QUESTION TO EVIDENCE
Your question defines the dataset.
Don’t hope the right data already exists. Generate exactly the data your question needs. Together, in four steps.
STEP 01
Define
Define technologies, categories, geography and time period freely. Your domain knowledge and our experience come together.
Your question sets the direction.
01 / 04
Your question takes shape
Where is tomorrow’s AI ecosystem emerging?
TechnologyArtificial intelligence
ActorsCompanies & research
GeographyGermany
PerspectiveActivities & connections
Defined together. Scoped to your needs.
EFI / 2026EVIDENCE THAT REACHES POLICY
On web-based methods in the EFI Report 2026
Read the accompanying study„One advantage of web-based methods is that they can cover many organizations and collect information promptly, at short notice and, as needed, several times a year.“
03 / THE PRINCIPLES
For questions that demand more depth.
Activities, beyond labels.
Current open web data reveals what organizations work on. Across conventional industry boundaries.
Research at the foundation.
A scientifically grounded approach, developed from more than a decade of foundational research.
04 / IN PRACTICE
From data to a basis for decisions.
Different questions. Different formats. The same scientific foundation.
INSIGHTS REPORT
Key technologies in focus
AI and climate-neutral mobility: the ISTARI study accompanying the EFI Report 2026.
Explore this work
REGIONAL STUDY
Baden-Württemberg’s AI ecosystem
A web-based perspective on the diffusion of AI in a regional economy.
Explore this work
EXPLORATIVE ANALYSIS
Technology trends in Berlin
Discover economic trends without defining the topics in advance. Together with ZEW.
Explore this workSCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
How reliable are web indicators?
The scientific foundation for interpreting and validating web-based indicators.
Explore this work10+years of foundational research
25+scientific publications
ISO 27001certified webAI technology
GDPR and AI Act compliant. Hosted in the EU.
Explore the scienceYOUR QUESTION IS THE START
Which ecosystem do you want to understand?
„For more than a decade, we have been turning the open web into reliable market intelligence. What began as foundational research is now one of the strongest data foundations for evidence-based economic and innovation policy.“
