APPLIED NANOPARTICLES SL

Their core work

Applied Nanoparticles is a Barcelona-based SME specializing in the synthesis and application of engineered nanoparticles, with particular expertise in nanoparticle characterization, safety assessment, and industrial-scale production control. They work at the intersection of nanomaterial manufacturing and safety-by-design approaches, helping ensure nanoparticles can be produced and used safely in industrial settings. Their capabilities span from understanding how nanoparticles behave in environmental and biological contexts to developing fluorescent and plasmonic detection systems for contamination monitoring.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Applied Nanoparticles began with fundamental work on how nanomaterials behave in environmental systems (NanoFASE, 2015), building core knowledge about nanoparticle characterization and speciation. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward applied industrial use: safe manufacturing processes with real-time quality control (SABYDOMA) and practical detection tools using plasmonic and fluorescent nanotechnologies (ENDONANO). The trajectory moves clearly from understanding nanoparticle behavior to engineering safe, controlled nanoparticle applications.

They are moving from research-oriented nanoparticle characterization toward industrial application — production control, safety integration, and sensor development — making them increasingly relevant for companies needing to bring nanomaterials into manufacturing safely.

How they like to work

Applied Nanoparticles operates exclusively as a participant or third-party contributor, never as coordinator — consistent with a small specialist SME that brings deep technical capability to large consortia rather than managing them. With 62 unique partners across 25 countries from just 3 projects, they work in very large international consortia (20+ partners each). This signals they are comfortable operating in complex multi-partner environments and likely fill a specific niche role that larger groups need.

Despite only 3 projects, they have built an unusually broad network of 62 partners across 25 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia. Their reach spans most of the EU and associated countries, with no apparent geographic concentration.

What sets them apart

Applied Nanoparticles sits at a rare intersection: they understand both how nanoparticles behave (environmental fate, biological interactions) and how to control them in production (on-line screening, feedback control, safety-by-design). This dual expertise — science plus manufacturing process — is uncommon among nano-SMEs, which tend to be either research-focused or production-focused. For any consortium needing a partner who can bridge lab-scale nanoparticle work with industrial safety and quality assurance, they fill a gap that universities and large manufacturers typically cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SABYDOMA
  Their largest funded project (EUR 327K), focused on the commercially critical challenge of integrating safety controls directly into nanomaterial production lines.
• ENDONANO
  Shows diversification into health safety applications, using plasmonic nanotechnology for endotoxin detection — a pivot from environmental to biomedical sensing.
• NanoFASE
  Their first H2020 project, establishing foundational expertise in nanoparticle environmental behavior that underpins all subsequent safety-related work.