The journey began on 12 May 2025 in Milan, where the ADALTIM consortium formally kicked off the three-year EU-funded project. During this first in-person meeting, partners reviewed and validated the overall project strategy and research roadmap that will underpin the development of ADALTIM’s impact rating methodology. Establishing a strong methodological foundation from the outset was identified as a critical success factor for the project, given the complexity of translating social impact measurement into tools that are both scientifically robust and practically usable by corporate and financial actors.
The research component is coordinated by the Tiresia Research Centre of Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with leading academic and research partners including IE University, Cottino Social Impact Campus, Human Foundation, and Politecnico di Torino. Together, these institutions are working on a comprehensive mapping of sector- and area-specific impact metrics and datasets, the definition of benchmarking and scoring criteria, and the integration of robust data assurance provisions. This research backbone is essential to ensure that ADALTIM’s future impact rating services combine methodological integrity with accessibility and ease of use.
Looking ahead, ADALTIM aims to serve a growing community of impact investors and social economy organisations through transparent and reliable impact ratings delivered by a dedicated private company (NewCo) to be established within the project. Anchored to a mission of safeguarding the integrity of social impact, this NewCo will play a key role in bringing impact intelligence services to European and global markets.
A second major milestone followed on 22 October 2025 in Brussels, when ADALTIM participated in the joint kick-off workshop of the eight projects selected under the EU Call for Proposals ESF-2024-SOC-IMP, at the invitation of the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. During the event, investors and sector experts reviewed the projects’ work plans and provided strategic feedback on the conditions required for successful market uptake of the impact intelligence ventures that each consortium is tasked with creating.
This call is particularly innovative within the EU funding landscape, as it links research and development activities to concrete market outcomes. Beyond advancing impact measurement methodologies, the funded projects are expected to establish economically sustainable ventures capable of operating beyond the funding period, thereby contributing to a more mature and resilient impact investing ecosystem.
The Brussels meeting also provided valuable opportunities for networking and collaboration among peer initiatives. Building on the guidance received, ADALTIM has accelerated several project components in parallel, including the development of the digital impact rating platform, a market needs assessment to refine the value proposition, and the design of the governance model for the NewCo that will ultimately deliver impact rating services to impact-oriented investors and companies.
Together, these first milestones set a strong foundation for ADALTIM’s ambition: to bridge rigorous impact research with real-world market solutions that support transparent, trustworthy, and scalable impact investing.