COMPANY PROFILE

Innovation Academy is a niche European

research and advisory firm, engaged in
policy development in the Information
and Communication Technologies (ICT)
sector and research for the integration
of technological innovation into diverse
sectors, including the environment,
energy, transport, health, culture and
education.
Innovation
Academy
delivers
high-quality,
specialized research and advisory services, ranging
from policy making and regulatory management,

OUR MISSION
Innovation Academy aspires to be a
leading, regional research and advisory
firm in the field of information and
communication technologies, offering
innovative and high-quality services to
its partners.

technology & good practice integration, commercial

and technology advice, customized analysis and
capacity building training, creating tangible value
for its partners.
Innovation Academy offers its services to
governments, public institutions, international
bodies and private entities, with a geographic focus
in developing markets in South and Eastern Europe,
Middle East and Africa. Building on its highly
experienced human capital, wide network of
regional partners and profound cooperation with
leading worldwide research and advisory firms,
Innovation Academy is best suited to create
essential advantage for its clients.

OUR SERVICES
Innovation Academy offers a wide range of customized services to its partners:

POLICY MAKING AND REGULATORY MANAGEMENT

Telecomms & media legal and regulatory advice, development and
institutionalization of regulatory levers and instruments

COMMERCIAL AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY SERVICES

Corporate strategy and business/financial planning, market entry strategy,
investment portfolio assessment and due diligence, technology and
operational strategy, business processes and organizational design

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION INTEGRATION & MANAGEMENT

Transfer of innovative (mainly ICT-related) technologies, identification of
good practice, process integration in sectors including the environment,
energy, transport, health culture and education

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH & INNOVATION PROGRAMS

Participation in European and international RDI programmes, coordination
of pan-European or regional projects with a special emphasis on science,
technology and innovation creation/ transference

CUSTOMISED ANALYSIS
Primary and secondary market research studies, forecasting tools and
methodologies, whitepapers and reports

NETWORKING & LIAISON ACTIVITIES

Provision of liaison activities between industry and academia stakeholders

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Design and delivery of high-quality and highly-specialized capacity building
trainings, workshops and seminars

INDICATIVE PROJECTS
Some of Innovation Academys most recent assignments include:

POLICY MAKING AND REGULATORY MANAGEMENT

A. Qatar: ICT PolicyQatar:
Maker
ICT Policy
ICTPolicy
Maker Plan
ICT Enactment
Policy Plan Enactment
Engagement scope: development
and enactment
of ICT strategic
and of ICT strategic vision and
Engagement
scope: development
and vision
enactment
plan
plan
Key activities:

Key activities:
Developed 5-year ICT vision, aspirations and objectives
Developed 5-year ICT vision, aspirations and objectives
Interpreted strategic priorities into actionable programs
Interpreted strategic priorities into actionable programs
Developed program charters, defining goals, objectives, timeline, budget
Developed program charters, defining goals, objectives, timeline,
and human resources requirements
budget and human resources requirements
Defined implementation enablers and drafted program implementation
Defined implementationroadmap
enablers and drafted program

implementation roadmap

U.A.E.: Incumbent Telecom Operator ICT Policy Development

Engagement scope: development of an actionable ICT strategy, identifying
revenue growth opportunities
Key activities:
Conducted end-to-end ICT sector diagnostics analysis and defined ICT
strategic plan
Developed business model and identified revenue growth opportunities
for the telecom operator, across the broader ICT ecosystem
Articulated opportunities into tangible plan and defined implementation
program charters
Assessed implications on next-generation regulatory levers (e.g. spectrum
re-farming, LTE spectrum, all-IP interconnection etc.) and defined a
comprehensive lobbying plan
Lebanon: Ministry of Telecoms ICT Policy Development
Engagement scope: development of an actionable ICT strategy, identifying
revenue growth opportunities
Key activities:
Base-lined ICT environment, assessed stakeholders aspirations and derived
key strategic imperatives and priorities
Defined and articulated ICT sector evolution scenarios
Developed econometric business model to assess economic and social
implications of various scenarios and derived optimal case
Articulated ICT strategic vision, action plan and implementation roadmap

Libya: Ministry of Communications Development of ICT Governance

Structure
Engagement scope: defined overall ICT sector governance structure and
articulated Ministry of Communications target organizational model
Key activities:
Base-lined Libyas ICT market developments and ICT governance model
Engaged in stakeholder discussions and presented possible organizational
structure options
Defined organizational structure and migration path to target
Provided hands-on operational support in hiring talent
Provided support in defining high-level regulatory agenda
Provided hands-on operational support on a set of regulatory management
levers
Defined Regulatory Affairs organizational structure, defining respective
roles and responsibilities
Advised on the development of new Telecom Act, prescribing Regulatory
Affairs operations
Saudi Arabia: Incumbent Telecom Operator Regulatory Management
Strategy & Lobbying Support
Engagement scope: development of regulatory strategy and provision of
operational, hands-on regulatory and lobbying support
Key activities:
Assessed overall regulatory environment, as well as internal demand for
regulatory / lobbying support
Developed end-to-end regulatory strategy, detailing cascaded regulatory
levers
Provided hands-on operational support in implementing regulatory
strategy in the areas of interconnection, retail pricing, licensing, USO,
numbering, portability, infrastructure sharing
Designed and executed lobbying activities vis--vis regulatory authority
and other external stakeholders
Lebanon: Mobile Operator Cost and Revenue Modelling / Service
Profitability Module Development
Engagement scope: development of Top-Down, Fully Allocated cost model /
development of service revenue model and service/bundle profitability
module
Key activities:
Collected service costing and revenue data from internal reports and
systems (fixed asset register, trial balance, financial reports)
Developed a comprehensive Top-Down, Fully Allocated cost model,
considering all relevant capital and operational costs and derided service
costing levels

Developed service revenue model and eventually service/bundle

profitability module, deriving and assessing contribution of each
service/bundle to bottom-line profitability
Provided hands-on operational training and developed framework and
process for institutionalizing cost modelling update process

COMMERCIAL AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY SERVICES

B. Qatar: ICT Policy Maker ICT Policy Plan Enactment
Engagement scope: development
and enactment
strategicModel
visionDevelopment
and
Libya: Mobile
Operatorof ICT
Operating
plan
Engagement scope: defined and articulated target organizational structure;
Key activities:
managed end-to-end C-level hiring and provided hands-on, HR operational
support
Developed 5-year ICT
vision, aspirations and objectives
ALMADAR ALJADID

Interpreted strategicKey
priorities
activities:
into actionable programs
Base-lined
internal
department
efficiencies
and challenges
Developed program charters,
defining
goals,
objectives,
timeline,
Benchmarked
best-practice operators org. structures
budget and human resources
requirements
Defined
possible
org. structure
evolution options
Defined implementation
enablers
and drafted
program
Assessed options, derived target org. structure and articulated across all
implementation roadmap

level
Developed full package of Job Profile / Description, entailing job roles and
responsibilities, performance assessment KPIs, career path progression,
competency matrix
Developed solicitation, screening and interviewing process and
frameworks
Conducted thorough face-to-face interviews with shortlisted candidates
and identified best talent

Saudi Arabia: Incumbent Telecom Operator Turnaround Program

Engagement scope: led an end-to-end operational turnaround and
performance booster program Jumpstart
Key activities:
Base-lined business and operational performance and identified key
challenges
Engaged into extensive stakeholder discussions to further fine-tune and
prioritize identified challenges
Developed a blue-print/master plan to address challenges, by employing a
well-articulated methodology abiding to specific milestones and targets
Executed turn-around program, reported progress and mitigated potential
risks
Managed to achieved significant performance improvements, reflected
into top and bottom-line financial performance enhancements

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION INTEGRATION & MANAGEMENT

AITOLOS - Cross-border collaboration to fight illegal logging and timber trade

to protect trans-boundary Greek-F.Y.R.O.M.ecosystems
Engagement scope: technological direction of the project, which fostered
cross-border collaboration and coordinate the activities of Greece and the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia against illegal logging and timber
trade.
Key activities:
Assessed legal framework, and defined specific recommendations to
address f illegal logging/trade.
Developed policy guidelines for addressing illegal logging, with a special
focus on cross-border timber trade.
Developed an operational plan across participating border regions
including the technical specifications, stakeholders roles, monitoring
mechanism, timetable and budget.
Implemented 2 pilots, one per country, in order to assess project results in
real-world situations. Pilots will run in forest offices of Goumenissa and
Bitola.

MANAGEMENT OF RESEARCH & INNOVATION PROGRAMS

ICT Foresight
exercise for Southeast European countries
C. Qatar: ICT PolicyFORSEE
Maker- Regional
ICT Policy
Plan Enactment
Engagement
scope: coordination
and content
direction of the project, which
Engagement scope: development
and enactment
of ICT strategic
vision and
proposed ICT RTD policy reform in South-eastern Europe (SEE) by introducing a
plan
foresight culture in the region in order to accelerate socioeconomic growth.
Key activities:
FORSEE introduced a sustainable mechanism for ICT foresight in the region,
Developed 5-year ICT
vision, to
aspirations
objectives
attempting
tackle the and
absence
of a regular process for technological future
policy
review.
Interpreted strategicorientation
priorities and
intoresearch
actionable
programs

Developed programKey
charters,
defining goals, objectives, timeline,
activities:
budget and human resources
requirements
Performed
context analysis on the SEE National Innovation Systems
Defined implementation
enablers
and drafted
program
Designed
tailored
Regional
Foresight Methodology
implementation roadmap
Implemented a pilot Regional Foresight Exercise in the Digital Content (DC)

domain in SEE for the year 2025

Articulated policy recommendations that support RDI for the evolution of
the DC domain in SEE
Compiled sustainability plan for the institutionalisation of foresight in SEE

CONTACT INFORMATION
Innovation Academy can be contacted at:
Office Location:
Technopolis ICT Business Park
VEPE TECHNOPOLIS-Building C2 Office 1.4
55535 Pylaia Thessaloniki
Greece

Telephone and email:

Tel: +30 2310 365164-66
Fax: +30 2310 365167
http://www.innovacademy.org
e-mail: info@innovacademy.org

Address for courier service:

Technopolis ICT Business Park
VEPE TECHNOPOLIS-Building C2 Office 1.4
55535 Pylaia Thessaloniki
Greece

Address for regular postal service:

Technopolis ICT Business Park
P.O. Box 60755
GR - 57001, Thermi Thessaloniki
Greece