CYANOGUARD AG

Their core work

CyanoGuard AG develops analytical instruments for cyanide detection and process monitoring, targeting the gold mining industry where cyanide is used in ore leaching. Their product line began with CyanoKit, a rapid on-site test for cyanide concentration, and scaled into CyanoSmart, a real-time continuous monitoring system for mine operations. By giving mine operators accurate, live cyanide readings, they help reduce reagent waste, cut operating costs, and lower environmental discharge risk. They are a product-driven deep-tech SME sitting at the intersection of analytical chemistry, industrial sensing, and mining process optimization.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CyanoGuard followed a textbook SME Instrument trajectory: the 2017–2018 CyanoKit project was a Phase 1 feasibility study producing a simple, portable detection kit, focused on proving market fit for on-site cyanide testing. By 2019 they secured a Phase 2 grant nearly 31 times larger to build CyanoSmart — a full real-time monitoring platform, signalling a shift from a disposable test product toward a recurring-revenue process-control solution. The evolution reflects increasing technical depth (from chemistry kit to embedded sensor system) and a move up the value chain from sampling tool to operational decision-support infrastructure.

CyanoGuard is moving from a disposable detection product toward a continuous monitoring platform, suggesting future collaboration interest around industrial IoT integration, data analytics for process control, and regulatory compliance automation in extractive industries.

How they like to work

CyanoGuard has acted exclusively as project coordinator across both H2020 grants, with no recorded consortium partners — consistent with the SME Instrument scheme, which funds single companies developing their own product. This means they are not experienced consortium participants and have not built a visible European research network through H2020. A potential collaborator should expect to engage them as a technology provider or industry end-user partner rather than as a co-researcher with established academic ties.

CyanoGuard's H2020 record shows zero consortium partners across both projects, reflecting the solo-company nature of the SME Instrument funding scheme they used. Their operational network likely exists through direct commercial relationships with mining companies rather than through formal research consortia.

What sets them apart

CyanoGuard occupies a narrow but defensible niche: they are one of very few European deep-tech SMEs building dedicated real-time cyanide monitoring products specifically for the gold mining sector. Their dual success in SME Phase 1 and Phase 2 — a competitive sequence fewer than 10% of applicants complete — signals validated technology and a credible commercial roadmap. For a consortium targeting mining, environmental monitoring, or industrial process safety, they bring a ready product, direct industry access, and demonstrated ability to lead EU-funded projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CyanoSmart
  The largest project by far at €1.55M, representing a full SME Phase 2 scale-up and the commercial embodiment of their real-time monitoring platform for gold mines.
• CyanoKit
  The Phase 1 proof-of-concept that validated market demand for rapid on-site cyanide detection and set the foundation for the larger CyanoSmart development.