APPLYNANO SOLUTIONS S.L.

Their core work

ApplyNano Solutions is a Spanish nanotechnology SME that applies nanomaterials and nano-enabled solutions to industrial manufacturing challenges. Their work covers two complementary directions: developing intelligent bulk materials for smart transport industries (automotive, rail), and building computing infrastructure to implement safe-by-design principles for nanomaterials. They bring an industry-facing, application-oriented perspective to large European research consortia, bridging the gap between nano-science and real-world manufacturing adoption. Their participation in both materials performance and nanosafety projects suggests they operate as nano-application specialists who understand both the technical and regulatory dimensions of putting nanomaterials into products.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ApplyNano's first H2020 project (MASTRO, 2017) carried no safety or informatics keywords — the focus was squarely on materials performance for transport applications. By their second project (SbD4Nano, 2020), the entire keyword profile shifted toward safety frameworks, computational tools, and data-sharing infrastructure for nanosafety. This is a meaningful pivot: from "make better materials" toward "prove those materials are safe and regulatorily compliant." The trend likely reflects the tightening EU regulatory environment around nanomaterials (REACH, NanoReg) and the growing demand from industrial clients for documented safety evidence alongside performance data.

ApplyNano is moving from pure materials application toward the regulatory-computational layer of nanotechnology — a direction with strong EU policy tailwind as nano-specific safety obligations tighten under REACH and upcoming chemicals regulation.

How they like to work

ApplyNano has never coordinated an H2020 project — they consistently join as a participant, functioning as a specialist contributor within larger consortia rather than driving project leadership. With 41 unique partners across just 2 projects, their consortia are large and diverse, averaging roughly 20 partners per project, which is typical for RIA actions in materials and nanosafety. This pattern suggests they are valued as a specific nano-application SME bringing industrial grounding to otherwise research-heavy partnerships.

ApplyNano has built a network of 41 unique partners across 11 countries through just two projects, a notably broad reach for an SME of this size. Their European footprint likely spans Western and Southern Europe, typical for materials and nanosafety consortia centered in Spain, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

What sets them apart

ApplyNano occupies an unusual niche as an SME that bridges nanomaterial application in manufacturing with the regulatory safe-by-design and nano-informatics infrastructure needed to bring those materials to market. Most nano SMEs focus on one side — either making materials or assessing safety — while ApplyNano has demonstrated competence in both within a short project timeline. For a consortium builder, this means a single partner who can contribute both application know-how and nanosafety compliance expertise, reducing the need for two separate industrial partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MASTRO
  ApplyNano's largest project by far at €404,300 EC funding, focused on intelligent bulk nanomaterials for smart transport — one of the most commercially relevant nano-application areas in EU manufacturing.
• SbD4Nano
  Signals a strategic pivot into nano-informatics and safe-by-design computing infrastructure, a high-policy-priority area as EU nanomaterial regulation tightens through the 2020s.