DUNE S.R.L.

Their core work

DUNE is a Rome-based technology SME that develops monitoring, tracking, and safety systems for high-risk environments. Their core work spans two domains: personnel location and safety systems for critical infrastructure and first responders, and automated testing solutions for the aviation industry. They progressed from an early-stage concept (PROTECT-2, SME Phase 1) to a full product development cycle (PROTECT, SME Phase 2), demonstrating a track record of maturing technologies from concept to market. Their participation in TeamAware shows they also contribute real-time situational awareness and risk assessment capabilities to multi-partner security projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DUNE began with a tight focus on personnel location and tracking for critical infrastructure safety, successfully progressing through the SME Instrument phases (PROTECT-2 in 2016, PROTECT in 2018-2020). From 2020 onward, they diversified significantly — moving into aviation testing automation (INSAT) and AI-enhanced first responder tools (TeamAware). This shift suggests a company that built core competence in real-time monitoring and tracking, then applied those capabilities to broader industrial and security domains.

DUNE is expanding from pure safety tracking into AI-augmented monitoring and industrial testing automation, suggesting future work will combine real-time data systems with machine intelligence.

How they like to work

DUNE strongly favors leading projects — they coordinated 3 out of 4 H2020 projects, including both SME Instrument phases and their largest grant (INSAT). Despite being a small company, they have built a broad network of 23 partners across 13 countries, indicating confidence in managing international consortia. Their single participant role in TeamAware (a larger security RIA) shows they can also contribute specialized capabilities within bigger teams when the topic aligns.

DUNE has collaborated with 23 unique partners across 13 countries, an unusually wide network for an SME with only 4 projects. This breadth suggests they actively seek diverse European partnerships rather than relying on a fixed set of collaborators.

What sets them apart

DUNE stands out as an SME that consistently leads rather than follows — coordinating 75% of their projects is rare for a small company. Their ability to bridge personnel safety systems with aviation industrial testing is an unusual combination that positions them at the intersection of security and transport. For consortium builders, they offer a proven track record of managing EU projects from feasibility (Phase 1) through full development (Phase 2) to large-scale innovation actions.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INSAT
  Their largest project (EUR 733K) and a shift into aviation — developing a modular, autonomous system for aircraft functional testing, coordinated by DUNE.
• PROTECT
  Successful SME Instrument Phase 2 graduation from PROTECT-2 (Phase 1), demonstrating the company's ability to mature a product from concept to market.
• TeamAware
  Their only participant role, in a security-focused consortium combining AI and augmented reality for first responder teams — shows their relevance beyond self-led projects.