DELMIC BV

Their core work

DELMIC BV is a Dutch technology SME that develops advanced electron microscopy instruments, specializing in correlative microscopy systems that combine multiple imaging techniques. Their core product line focuses on cryo-electron tomography sample preparation workflows and cathodoluminescence microscopy. Based in Delft, they bridge the gap between academic microscopy research and commercially viable instrumentation, turning complex lab techniques into accessible tools for structural biology and nanoscience.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DELMIC's H2020 trajectory shows a clear commercialization arc. They started in 2018 with a small ERC Proof-of-Concept grant (€50K) for Cryo-SECOM, validating the market potential of simplified cryo-electron tomography. By 2019, they secured a substantial SME Phase 2 grant (€2.1M) for the same technology — the Cryo-SECOM Workflow — indicating successful validation and a push toward full product development. Their recent keywords (cryo electron microscopy, tomography, visual proteomics) show a deepening specialization in structural biology instrumentation rather than diversification.

DELMIC is scaling from prototype to market-ready cryo-electron tomography products, with growing interest in visual proteomics applications — expect them to target structural biology labs as key customers.

How they like to work

DELMIC operates primarily as a project coordinator (2 of 3 projects), reflecting the independent posture typical of product-driven SMEs commercializing their own technology. Their network is remarkably small — only 1 unique consortium partner in 1 country — suggesting they use H2020 funding mainly for internal product development rather than large collaborative research. Working with DELMIC likely means engaging a focused technology provider rather than a consortium-building partner.

Extremely small collaboration network with only 1 unique partner in 1 country. This is consistent with SME instrument grants (ERC-POC, SME Phase 1/2) that fund company-centric development rather than multi-partner research.

What sets them apart

DELMIC occupies a niche at the intersection of electron microscopy hardware and life science workflows — they don't just use microscopes, they build them. Their progression from ERC-POC to SME Phase 2 demonstrates validated commercial potential, not just research ambition. For consortium builders, DELMIC brings instrumentation development capability that most academic partners cannot offer: the ability to turn a microscopy method into a reproducible, commercially available tool.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Cryo-SECOM Workflow
  Their flagship project at €2.1M (SME Phase 2), representing successful scale-up from proof-of-concept to full product development for cryo-electron tomography instrumentation.
• TOPCL
  Shows breadth beyond cryo-microscopy — a table-top cathodoluminescence microscope indicates a second product line targeting nanoscience and materials characterization.