The year 2025 marked the end of a major strategic transition period for the national innovation agency Luxinnovation, with the appointment in March of Mario Grotz as the new CEO, and the completion of an operational and organisational transformation process launched in 2022 aimed at enhancing the efficiency and consistency of its activities. Luxinnovation is now structured around four strategic pillars: “Inspire”, “Assess & Accelerate”, “Connect” and “Fund”.

“The Ministry of the Economy’s driving force behind innovation”: this is how the Minister for the Economy, Lex Delles, explains the Luxinnovation agency. For whom “innovation is not the preserve of large industries or tech start-ups. Luxinnovation is aimed at all types of businesses, whether they are craftspeople, local shops, traditional SMEs or large industrial groups. The aim is to help every player improve their services, streamline their internal processes or modernise their organisation.”

One-stop shop

Following the completion of its latest performance contract, the agency is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for access to innovation. It offers businesses a four-stage process: inspiration—raising awareness and providing ideas for innovation—, acceleration—assessing and developing growth potential—, connection—networking with relevant partners in the ecosystem—and funding—government grants and European programmes.

A new priority area has been incorporated into Luxinnovation’s remit: talent development. “This comprises three key elements: training talent in Luxembourg, retaining existing talent, and attracting international talent to meet the needs of businesses and the start-up ecosystem,” explains Mario Grotz.

The agency has managed to strike at the heart of the local economy.

Lex Delles, minister for the Economy

The impact on the local economy

In 2025, more than 2,200 contacts were made with businesses. These led to support being provided to 1,000 businesses—85% of which are small or micro-enterprises—“proving that the agency is successfully reaching the heart of the local economy”, according to Lex Delles.

As a knowledge producer, the agency has added more than 25 new resources and 15 trend reports to its “Knowledge Hub”. A total of 90 events also attracted 7,000 participants. The agency boasts over 110,000 followers on its social media channels and records an average of 40,000 monthly visits to its various websites.

In 2025, 61 applications to take part in the ‘Fit4’ performance programmes were approved. The start-up sector remains dynamic, with Fit4Start’s 10th anniversary, which received a record 495 applications, and the launch of the new Fit4Scale programme, which has taken on five start-ups.

In terms of business connections, the Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub (L-DIH) has seen a 30% increase in the support it provides to industrial companies. Internationally, 42 foreign companies have made a “soft landing” in the Grand Duchy.

Finally, in terms of funding, Luxinnovation has helped 307 companies secure public funding. At European level, the Horizon Europe programme has generated a national financial return of €51.6m.

Luxembourg AI Factory: a new driving force in artificial intelligence

One of the key events of 2025 is the inauguration of the Luxembourg AI Factory, for which Luxinnovation serves as the single point of entry. Luxinnovation is designed to act as a one-stop shop, supporting all economic stakeholders in adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in a sovereign and secure manner.

The AI Factory already offers a range of 66 services, ranging from maturity assessments to the deployment of solutions on the MeluXina-AI supercomputer (scheduled for late 2026). Since its launch, the Luxembourg AI Factory has already supported more than 150 companies, the majority of which are SMEs. “It openly positions itself as the single point of entry for any organisation wishing to adopt AI, providing clarity and concrete guidance on technology, formats and legal support,” explained Lex Delles.