FALEX TRIBOLOGY NV

Their core work

Falex Tribology NV is a Belgian SME specializing in tribology — the applied science of friction, wear, lubrication, and surface interactions between materials. They provide tribological testing services and measurement expertise that helps industry understand how surfaces perform under mechanical contact. In the PROCETS project, they contributed testing and validation capabilities to research on protective composite coatings applied via electrodeposition and thermal spraying. Through their FACT initiative, they coordinated the creation of a dedicated tribology application center, positioning themselves as a commercial testing and advisory hub for companies needing surface performance data.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their H2020 activity spans a narrow window (2016-2019), making long-term evolution difficult to trace. The arc is nonetheless clear: they began as a research participant in a large coating technology consortium (PROCETS), then immediately coordinated their own SME innovation project (FACT) to formalize that expertise into a dedicated testing center. This suggests a deliberate shift from research contribution toward building independent service infrastructure — from lab participation to market-facing capability.

Falex appears to be transitioning from research participation toward becoming a recognized industry testing and advisory center for tribology, which makes them an attractive partner for projects needing independent surface performance validation.

How they like to work

Falex operates both as a specialist participant and as a project coordinator, though their coordination experience is limited to a smaller SME feasibility project. In PROCETS, a larger Innovation Action, they joined a multi-partner consortium as a specialist contributor bringing testing infrastructure. Working with them typically means accessing tribological measurement equipment and domain expertise rather than broad project management capacity.

Falex has worked with 15 unique consortium partners across 9 countries, primarily through the PROCETS consortium. Their network is European in scope, spanning multiple manufacturing-oriented countries.

What sets them apart

Falex Tribology NV occupies a rare niche as a dedicated tribology SME in Belgium that combines hands-on testing infrastructure with EU research project experience. Most tribology testing in Europe is conducted by large institutes or in-house by manufacturers; Falex offers an independent, specialized SME alternative. For consortium builders, they bring a combination of measurement equipment, domain expertise, and the credibility of having coordinated their own EU-funded tribology center.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PROCETS
  The largest of Falex's two projects by far (EUR 363,825), PROCETS placed them inside a multi-country manufacturing consortium tackling protective coatings — directly in their core tribology and surface engineering domain.
• FACT
  Falex coordinated this project themselves using EU SME-1 funding to establish a dedicated tribology application center — a strategic move to formalize testing expertise into a commercial service offering.