About US
Austria
CoVE Austria
CoVE Austria is the Austrian node of the ERCULES network, led by the study programmes Global Sales and Marketing (GSM) at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (FH OÖ) in cooperation with IUCAB – the Internationally United Commercial Agents and Brokers. It builds on FH OÖ’s long-standing expertise in sales education, particularly through GSM, and on IUCAB’s international network of commercial agents and agencies headquartered in Vienna.
The Austrian CoVE responds to the digital transformation of B2B sales and the commercial-agent profession, where many SMEs and independent sales agents need stronger capabilities in digital sales, CRM-supported customer management, AI-driven customer engagement, and hybrid selling. A particular challenge is the upskilling of experienced sales agents whose work has traditionally relied on face-to-face interaction, while new sales roles such as Inside Sales and Customer Success Management are still only partly reflected in existing VET pathways. The centre aims to develop modular and practice-oriented training formats, strengthen cooperation between higher education, VET, SMEs and professional associations, and test innovative learning materials, including AI-supported sales training and applied learning labs. By combining academic expertise with direct access to the commercial-agent sector, CoVE Austria will support lifelong learning, professionalisation, and the sustainable modernisation of sales education in Austria and across the wider ERCULES network.
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria
Piotr Kwiatek
FH-Prof. Dr.
Piotr Kwiatek is a Professor at FH Upper Austria, UT Austin graduate specializing in AI/ML analytics, and Co-founder of the Global Sales Science Institute. As the Coordinator of the Austrian CoVE-Sales, he leverages over 20 years of B2B expertise to bridge cutting-edge research, curriculum development, and industry collaboration.
“CoVE Sales is about making sales education future-ready: practical, digital, inclusive, and closely connected to real industry needs.“
– FH-Prof. Dr. Piotr Kwiatek
Partner representative(s)
IUCAB - Internationally United Commercial Agents and Brokers
Christian Rebernig
Secretary General
Christian studied business administration at the universities in Graz (Austria) and Bologna (Italy). He has been in the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber employed in Vienna since 1998 and has been taking care of the profession of commercial/sales agent issues from 2008 on. He is the managing director of the Austrian Federal Association of Commercial Agents since 2016 and in addition he was elected as Secretary General of IUCAB.
“By bridging academic learning and the business world, we aim to shape a new generation of skilled sales professionals – creating lasting value for the market.”
– Christian Rebernig
Denmark
CoVE Denmark
CoVE Denmark is the Danish node of the ERCULES network, led by University College of Northern Denmark (UCN) in cooperation with Intenz and Salesforce Denmark as associated partner. It is anchored in Northern Jutland, where many SMEs and export-oriented companies need sales professionals who can work strategically with B2B customers, CRM systems, data-driven insights, and AI-supported selling. The Danish CoVE aims to strengthen the link between vocational and higher education, applied research, and business practice by developing modular and practice-oriented sales curricula, testing digital and experiential learning methods, and supporting continuous upskilling for students and professionals. A key priority is to make professional selling more attractive, inclusive, and visible as a career path, including for women in sales. The centre will be embedded in UCN’s existing education and continuing education activities to ensure lasting impact beyond the project period.
University College of Northern Denmark (UCN)
Assistant Professor, Karina Burgdorff Jensen
Director of Sales Excellence
Karina Burgdorff Jensen is Assistant Professor and Director of Sales Excellence at University College of Northern Denmark. Her work focuses on sales education, sales management, gender equality in sales, and stronger collaboration between education, research and industry.
“CoVE Sales helps us make sales education more relevant, practical and inclusive, while bringing students, educators and companies closer together.“
– Karina Burgdorff Jensen
Partner representative(s)
Intenz
Rasmus Studstrup
Partner
Former Vice President Sales with a demonstrated history of working across industries – with high outcome. Both as a sales leader and as a management consultant.
“The future of sales will not belong to the sellers who simply work harder. It will belong to those who understand how buying has changed, and who use the insights from EU projects like this to adopt new and more relevant ways of selling.”
– Rasmus Studstrup
France
CoVE France
CoVE France is the French node of the ERCULES network (European Centres of Excellence for Professional Selling), coordinated at IESEG School of Management and from the Department of Marketing and Sales. As one of the leading business schools in France, we are active in conducting research and sharing our findings along with cutting edge sales practices with both industry practitioners as well as future industry practitioners. We offer specific courses on Sales and Business Development in our executive MBA program as well as have dedicated executive masters in sales focusing on sales experts working in companies. IESEG School of Management also has one of the highest number of sales professors with PhDs in France.
A key industry partner is EvaluationsHub, an innovative startup which has association with IESEG School of Management. EvaluationsHub is a startup that focuses on providing subscription based services to organizations interested in maintaining profitable relationships with their suppliers. By incorporating academic rigor to practitioner relevant issues, the founder Prof. Bert Paesbrugge ensures that EvaluationsHub is not just a tool for companies, but is based one educational principles that can be brought into a classroom of professionals and students
IESEG School of Management
Prof. Dr. Deva Rangarajan
Lead investigator
Deva Rangarajan is a professor of marketing and sales. he has over 23 years of teaching and research experience in the domain of marketing and sales Software is only a piece of the puzzle to support better collaboration in B2B relationships. CoVE Sales is the vehicle to get companies closer to research and vice-versa.
Partner representative(s)
EvaluationsHub
Prof. Dr. Bert Paesbrugghe
Founder & CEO
Bert Paesbrugghe is the founder and CEO of the supplier performance management tool EvaluationsHub. The AI platform serves large companies with handling their suppliers performance, risk, and compliance
“Software is only a piece of the puzzle to support better collaboration in B2B relationships. CoVE Sales is the vehicle to get companies closer to research and vice-versa.”
– Prof. Dr. Bert Paesbrugghe
Germany
CoVE Germany
CoVE Germany is the German node of the ERCULES network (European Centres of Excellence for Professional Selling), coordinated at Hochschule Neu-Ulm (HNU) through the Sales and Sustainable Business Institute (SSBI). As an emerging Centre of Vocational Excellence, it brings together universities, enterprises, chambers of commerce, and education providers with the goal of strengthening—and progressively building—vocational pathways in professional selling, an area still under development in Germany.
A key industry partner is Wanzl,an internationally leading family-owned company headquartered in Leipheim, Germany.
Since its founding in 1947, Wanzl has evolved from a manufacturer of shopping carts into a comprehensive solutions provider in retail, logistics, access control, airport, and hotel services. With over 4,600 employees, 11 production sites across 7 countries, and 27 sales offices worldwide.
Its aim is to develop modern, competence-based sales curricula, connect academia with the regional economy, and embed sales excellence in the national qualifications framework—ensuring graduates are equipped for data-driven, omni-channel selling.
University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm
Prof. Dr. Alexander H. Kracklauer
Research Professor
Alexander H. Kracklauer is Research Professor of Sales Management and Sales Intelligence at the Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and founding director of the Sales and Sustainable Business Institute (SSBI). His research focuses on AI-driven sales. He previously held roles at Procter & Gamble and was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School.
“AI is reshaping how we sell. CoVE Sales helps Europe attract and develop a new generation of sales talent, equipped for a profession in transformation.“
– Prof. Dr. Alexander H. Kracklauer
Partner representative(s)
Wanzl
Stephanie Jordan
Business Development Manager
Stephanie Jordan is a doctoral candidate and Business Development Manager at Wanzl GmbH & Co. KGaA. In her role, she is responsible for selling new and digital products as well as the strategic development of innovative sales formats .At Wanzl, Stephanie manages the collaboration with academic institutions, including the Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) and the DHBW Heilbronn, fostering research-based knowledge transfer and jointly developing educational initiatives.
Italy
CoVE Italy
The Italian CoVE aims to strengthen the national ecosystem for sales education and training, addressing the gap between the skills required by companies and the current academic and vocational training offer. Under the coordination of Università Politecnica delle Marche, which brings strong expertise in sales management, European project coordination and academic research, the centre will connect research, education and the business sector. The University of Teramo will contribute with its interdisciplinary academic expertise, particularly in research, digital learning and innovation-oriented educational models, while INSIGHT will provide its applied know-how in corporate learning, digital transformation and technology-driven training solutions. The Italian Cove will contribute to developing updated skills, improving employability, and supporting upskilling and reskilling pathways aligned with the ongoing transformations of the sales sector.
Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM)
Silvio Cardinali
Associate Professor
Professor Silvio Cardinali is Associate Professor in Marketing and Sales Management at the Management Department of the “Giorgio Fuà” Faculty of Economics of the Politecnica delle Marche University. He received his Ph.D. in Management in 2008. He was in charge of the role of Vice-Rector for Communication from 2015 to 2019 in the same University. He has published 5 monographic works and more than 100 manuscrips in books and international journals including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Management Decision, Journal of Services theory and practice, Management Research Review, Journal of Marketing Education, Italian Journal of Marketing, Italian Journal of Management (Sinergie). He also collaborated as a guest editor with Journal of Business Research, JPSSM. He has an extensive experience in EU-funded projects as Lead Partner or partner of more than 15 European projects. He is Vice President of AGBRP (Academy of Global Business Research and Practice) and he works with numerous universities and business schools including City University of Hong Kong, Upper Austria University, Luiss Business School, Cuoa Business School, Istao Business School, Publitalia ’80 and IPE Business School, as well as collaborating with national and international companies including Canon Medical, ING Bank, Wind, EY, Skoda, KTM, Ford, Rai Way.
“With Cove Sales, the European Union recognizes a strategic and priority role for sales-related professions, placing them at the core of competitiveness and innovation dynamics. This European Center of Excellence sends a clear signal: universities and companies must work together in a structured way to update and shape the future of these professions, aligning skills, technologies, and educational models with real market needs. Cove Sales aims to significantly strengthen the inclusiveness of the sector through concrete actions such as the Women in Sales network, while increasing its attractiveness for new generations by enhancing emerging professional roles and supporting companies in managing innovation environments, including AI-driven labs and technology diffusion centers.”
– Prof. Silvio Cardinali, Project Coordinator, Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM)
Università degli Studi di Teramo (UNITE)
Antonio Prencipe
Associate Professor
Professor Antonio Prencipe is Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Department of Communication Sciences, University of Teramo. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, university technology transfer, corporate governance and accountability. He has extensive experience in European projects, innovation ecosystems, and academic entrepreneurship.
“Innovation in sales education emerges where universities, businesses and technology work together to develop entrepreneurial, digital and market-oriented skills.”
– Antonio Prencipe, Associate Professor
Partner representative(s)
INSIGHT
Massimiliano Di Paolo
CEO, INSIGHT
Massimiliano Di Paolo is CEO of INSIGHT, an Italian company bridging research, technology, and business education. An expert in European project development and fundraising, he builds international partnerships and scalable learning initiatives. Within ERCULES, he supports collaboration between education and industry to advance innovation and sales skills across Europe.
“CoVE Sales shows how European collaboration can turn research, technology and industry needs into practical, inclusive and scalable sales education”
– Massimiliano Di Paolo, CEO INSIGHT
Poland
CoVE Poland
CoVE Poland is the Polish node of the ERCULES network, led by Poznań University of Economics and Business in cooperation with the Wielkopolska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It responds to strong labour-market needs in Poland, where sales and commercial profiles are among the most demanded and difficult to find, while gaps in digital and communication skills remain significant. Its aim is to modernise sales education by strengthening cooperation between universities, VET providers and enterprises, developing practice-oriented curricula, and supporting competence-based pathways for emerging sales roles shaped by digital transformation and AI.
Poznań University of Economics and Business (PUEB)
Maciej Pietrzykowski
Researcher, Project Manager
Assistant Professor at Poznań University of Economics and Business, with research interests in regional development, competitiveness, and regional resilience. Actively engaged in international project management, including the coordination, implementation, and quality assurance of research, educational, and capacity-building projects.
Agnieszka Soloch
PhD Student
Assistant Professor at Poznań University of Economics and Business, with research interests in regional development, competitiveness, and regional resilience. Actively engaged in international project management, including the coordination, implementation, and quality assurance of research, educational, and capacity-building projects.
Associated partners
Salesforce
Canon Medical Systems
Planidis Sp. z o.o.
