AQUAPORIN AS

Their core work

Aquaporin AS is a Danish SME that develops biomimetic water purification membranes based on aquaporin proteins — the natural water channels found in living cells. Their core commercial product line, Aquaporin Inside™, applies this technology to industrial reverse osmosis and forward osmosis systems for water treatment and desalination. They bridge biotechnology and water engineering, moving from early-stage nanobiotechnology research toward scalable membrane solutions for brackish water treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Aquaporin's early H2020 work (2015-2017) centered on membrane technology development — both for niche bioprocessing applications (DiViNe) and commercializing their own Aquaporin Inside™ product for brackish water RO (AMBROSIA, which they coordinated). From 2019 onward, their focus broadened to systemic water challenges: low-cost purification for developing regions (INDIA-H2O) and integrated water-energy-climate resilience (REWAISE). The trajectory shows a company moving from product R&D to real-world deployment in larger sustainability contexts.

Aquaporin is shifting from a membrane technology developer to a component supplier embedded in broader water-climate-energy system projects, making them increasingly relevant for large-scale sustainability consortia.

How they like to work

Aquaporin primarily participates as a specialist partner (3 of 4 projects), contributing their membrane technology to larger consortia, though they have demonstrated coordination capability with AMBROSIA — a significant SME Instrument project. With 55 unique partners across 16 countries, they maintain a wide and diverse network rather than repeating the same collaborators. This suggests they are adaptable, easy to integrate into new consortia, and valued as a technology provider by different research communities.

Aquaporin has collaborated with 55 distinct partners across 16 countries, indicating strong pan-European reach for an SME. Their network spans both research institutions (biotech, environmental engineering) and industrial partners in the water sector.

What sets them apart

Aquaporin occupies a rare niche: they are one of very few companies worldwide commercializing biomimetic (aquaporin protein-based) membranes for water treatment. This gives them a distinctive technology that is not easily substituted by conventional membrane manufacturers. For consortium builders, they offer a direct bridge between biological membrane science and industrial water treatment applications — plus the credibility of having coordinated their own SME Instrument project to bring the technology to market.

Highlights from their portfolio

• AMBROSIA
  Their largest project (EUR 1.4M) and only coordination role — an SME Instrument project to commercialize their proprietary Aquaporin Inside™ brackish water RO membranes.
• REWAISE
  Their most recent and longest-running project (2020-2026), positioning them within the broader smart water economy and climate resilience agenda.
• INDIA-H2O
  Extends their membrane work to low-cost water purification and recycling, demonstrating applicability beyond European industrial contexts.