GRUPO ANTOLIN-INGENIERIA SA

Their core work

Grupo Antolin is a major Spanish automotive interior components manufacturer headquartered in Burgos, with global operations. In H2020, their R&D arm focused on integrating advanced nanomaterials — especially graphene and nanostructured surfaces — into industrial manufacturing processes for automotive and other applications. They bring large-scale injection moulding and composite manufacturing capabilities to research consortia, serving as the industrial end-user who validates lab-scale innovations at production scale. Their participation spans nanosafety governance, lightweight alloy recovery, and graphene-based functional materials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015-2018, Grupo Antolin's H2020 work was scattered across nanosafety regulation (NanoREG II), rare-earth alloy recycling (REMAGHIC), and composite manufacturing (FORTAPE) — reflecting broad materials R&D exploration. From 2018 onward, their portfolio consolidated sharply around graphene, with sustained investment across the Graphene Flagship and its pilot line, while maintaining a parallel thread in nanosafety governance. The trajectory shows a company that sampled multiple advanced materials topics early on and then bet heavily on graphene as their strategic material of choice for next-generation products.

Grupo Antolin is moving from graphene research participation toward pilot-line manufacturing scale-up, signaling readiness for near-market graphene-enhanced products.

How they like to work

Grupo Antolin operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for large industrial companies that join as end-users and validation partners rather than research leaders. With 367 unique partners across 27 countries, they are deeply embedded in European research networks, particularly through the massive Graphene Flagship consortia. Their role is consistently that of the industrial manufacturer who grounds research in real production constraints and tests materials at scale.

With 367 unique consortium partners across 27 countries, Grupo Antolin has one of the broadest collaboration networks among Spanish industrial participants — largely built through the Graphene Flagship's pan-European mega-consortium. Their reach spans nearly all EU member states and associated countries.

What sets them apart

Grupo Antolin is one of very few large automotive component manufacturers with deep, sustained engagement in graphene research — not as a one-off experiment but across four consecutive Flagship projects including the pilot line. They uniquely combine mass-production injection moulding capabilities with nanomaterials expertise, making them an ideal industrial validation partner for anyone developing functional nanomaterials that need to transition from lab to factory floor. Their parallel expertise in nanosafety and regulatory frameworks means they understand both the manufacturing and compliance sides of bringing nanomaterial-enhanced products to market.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 2D-EPL
  Participation in the Graphene Flagship's 2D Experimental Pilot Line represents the culmination of their graphene journey — moving from basic research to actual production infrastructure.
• FORTAPE
  Their largest single EC contribution (EUR 477K) focused on complex composite part manufacturing, directly reflecting their core industrial competence.
• SUN-PILOT
  Bridges their injection moulding manufacturing expertise with nanotechnology — subwavelength surface texturing for antireflective and self-cleaning properties at industrial scale.