FUNDACION GAIKER

Their core work

GAIKER is a Spanish applied research centre based in the Basque Country that specializes in materials science, polymer processing, and environmental safety assessment. Their core work revolves around making plastics and nanomaterials safer — through risk assessment frameworks, safe-by-design methodologies, and advanced recycling of electronic waste (WEEE). They also develop sustainable bio-based packaging materials and contribute polymer expertise to circular economy initiatives, bridging the gap between laboratory material science and industrial-scale implementation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2014–2018), GAIKER focused heavily on nanomaterial safety and the recycling of consumer electronics, working on flame retardant removal, polymer characterization, and ecodesign for electronic devices. From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted toward circular economy applications, bio-based materials, and broader environmental risk — including micro/nano-plastics in human health and lignocellulose biorefining. The thread connecting both periods is polymer science and safety assessment, but the application scope has clearly widened from electronics-specific recycling to cross-sector sustainability challenges.

GAIKER is moving from narrow WEEE/nano risk work toward broader circular economy and bio-based material solutions, positioning themselves as a materials safety and sustainability generalist.

How they like to work

GAIKER operates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which suggests they position themselves as a reliable technical contributor rather than a project leader. With 325 unique partners across 29 countries, they maintain an exceptionally wide network for an SME-classified research centre, indicating they are sought after for their specific polymer and risk assessment expertise. Their consistent funding range (EUR 150K–480K per project) across 20 projects shows they take on well-defined technical work packages rather than broad coordination responsibilities.

GAIKER has collaborated with 325 distinct partners across 29 countries, an unusually broad network for a regional research centre. Their partnerships span nearly all EU member states, reflecting the pan-European nature of the recycling, materials safety, and circular economy communities they work in.

What sets them apart

GAIKER sits at a rare intersection: they combine deep polymer processing knowledge with regulatory-grade risk assessment for nanomaterials and plastics. Few research centres can simultaneously handle the material science (recycling, bio-polymers, composites) and the safety/regulatory dimension (risk governance, exposure assessment, safe-by-design). For consortium builders, this dual capability means one partner covering two critical work packages — materials development and safety validation — which is particularly valuable in circular economy and sustainable packaging proposals.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CREAToR
  Their largest funded project (EUR 482K), tackling flame retardant removal from WEEE using supercritical CO2 and twin-screw extrusion — a technically ambitious recycling approach.
• HR-Recycler
  An unusual diversification into AI and robotics for automated WEEE dismantling, showing GAIKER can bridge their materials expertise with Industry 4.0 technologies.
• PlasticsFatE
  Their most recent thematic expansion — assessing micro/nano-plastics impact on human health — connecting their polymer and risk assessment expertise to a high-profile environmental health concern.