FUNDICO BVBA

Their core work

FUNDICO is a Belgian SME specializing in the industrialization and manufacturability of photonics-based medical diagnostic devices. They contribute manufacturing engineering and product development expertise to EU research consortia building point-of-care biosensors and screening tools. Their work spans from silicon photonics for cardiovascular monitoring to portable diagnostic platforms for bone disease and cervical cancer screening, consistently bridging the gap between lab prototypes and manufacturable products.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

FUNDICO's early H2020 work (2015–2017) centered on research-stage photonics — laser interferometry for cardiovascular detection and genomic/proteomic biosensors for osteoporosis. By their later projects (2020–2021), the focus shifted decisively toward manufacturability, industrialization, and real-world screening deployment, including community-based implementation in low-income settings. This trajectory shows a company moving from contributing to proof-of-concept R&D toward enabling scalable production and field deployment of diagnostic devices.

FUNDICO is moving from lab-stage photonics R&D toward scalable manufacturing and real-world deployment of health screening devices, making them increasingly relevant for projects approaching market readiness.

How they like to work

FUNDICO operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never as coordinator — consistent with a specialized SME that brings targeted manufacturing and industrialization expertise rather than project management capacity. With 23 unique partners across 16 countries in just 4 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia and do not appear to repeat partnerships heavily. This suggests they are sought after as a specialist contributor and adapt well to new consortium configurations.

Despite only 4 projects, FUNDICO has built a remarkably wide network of 23 partners across 16 countries, indicating they collaborate across broad European consortia rather than sticking to a regional cluster. Their reach extends well beyond Belgium and Western Europe.

What sets them apart

FUNDICO occupies a rare niche: a manufacturing-focused SME that understands both photonics technology and the path to industrializing medical devices. While many academic partners in health-tech consortia focus on the science, FUNDICO brings the practical know-how to turn prototypes into manufacturable products. For any consortium developing a photonics-based diagnostic tool and needing a partner who can address producibility and scale-up, FUNDICO fills a gap that few SMEs can.

Highlights from their portfolio

• InSiDe
  Directly continues the CARDIS cardiovascular work with explicit focus on manufacturability and industrialization — shows FUNDICO's evolution from R&D to production readiness.
• CHILI
  Expands FUNDICO's scope beyond photonics into community-based cervical cancer screening in low-income countries, demonstrating versatility in global health applications.
• PoCOsteo
  Largest single EC contribution (€172,500) and combines genomic, proteomic, and biosensor technologies into a point-of-care osteoporosis device.