APPLIED NANOLAYERS BV

Their core work

Applied Nanolayers is a Dutch nanotechnology SME specializing in the production and integration of 2D materials — primarily graphene and boron-nitrogen-carbon (BNC) thin films — for industrial and optoelectronic applications. Their work bridges materials chemistry and process engineering: scaling laboratory-grade 2D films into manufacturable products usable in electronics, thermal management, and advanced devices. As an SME-Instrument grant recipient and MSCA-ITN training partner, they operate at the interface between research and commercial deployment. They are the kind of partner consortia bring in when a project needs someone who can actually deposit, pattern, and hand over a working thin-film sample.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (SPRING, 2019) they focused on making graphene scalable and industrially integrable — a classic manufacturing-readiness problem. By 2020 (STiBNite) their scope broadened from pure carbon 2D sheets into doped BNC (boron-nitrogen-carbon) systems, adding chemical tailoring and functional doping to their process toolkit. The trajectory is clear: from "how do we make graphene at scale" to "how do we engineer next-generation 2D films with programmable properties."

They are moving from single-material (graphene) scale-up toward chemically tailored 2D films for optoelectronics and thermal management — a good bet for partners needing custom-engineered nanolayers rather than off-the-shelf graphene.

How they like to work

They have taken both lead and supporting roles: coordinator of a substantial SME-Instrument project (SPRING) and industrial partner in an MSCA doctoral training network (STiBNite). This dual pattern suggests a small but confident technical SME comfortable either driving commercialization or acting as the industry anchor in research-training consortia. Their 9 partners across 6 countries indicate selective, project-scoped collaboration rather than a wide repeat-partner network.

Collaborated with 9 distinct partners across 6 European countries through two projects — a compact network consistent with a specialized SME. No single geographic concentration stands out beyond a Dutch home base.

What sets them apart

Applied Nanolayers is one of the few European SMEs that actually produces and integrates 2D materials as a commercial service rather than studying them academically. They combine process-engineering capability (scale-up, thin-film deposition) with openness to exotic chemistries like BNC doping — a rare mix in a field dominated by either large semiconductor players or university labs. For a consortium that needs real samples, real films, and a partner who can bring a product angle, they are a credible fit.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPRING
  Their coordinator-led SME-2 project worth EUR 2.45M focused on scalable graphene production — their flagship commercialization effort.
• STiBNite
  An MSCA-ITN partnership on BNC thin films and nanodots, showing they participate in doctoral-level research training on doped 2D materials beyond plain graphene.