GUARDTIME OU

Their core work

Guardtime is an Estonian cybersecurity and blockchain infrastructure company that provides data integrity and tamper-proofing solutions for critical systems. They supply blockchain-based verification technology (notably KSI — Keyless Signature Infrastructure) to secure data across sectors including energy grids, gas networks, health records, and industrial IoT. In H2020 projects, they typically contribute the trust and data integrity layer — ensuring that information exchanged between systems or organizations cannot be falsified. Their technology sits at the intersection of cybersecurity, distributed ledger systems, and critical infrastructure protection.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Guardtime's early H2020 work (2017–2019) concentrated on securing large-scale infrastructure — energy flexibility systems (EU-SysFlex), cybersecurity networks (ECHO), and gas pipeline protection (SecureGas), with a strong focus on building federated cyber ranges and cybersecurity skills frameworks. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted toward blockchain-based data trust, privacy-enhancing ledgers, and data marketplace infrastructure, alongside new applications in health data (Gravitate-Health) and IoT security for supply chains (CRITICAL-CHAINS). The trajectory shows a clear move from protecting physical infrastructure toward securing data flows and building trust layers for digital ecosystems.

Guardtime is moving from infrastructure protection toward becoming a trust-layer provider for data marketplaces, health systems, and cross-sector digital platforms — expect them to pursue projects where verified data provenance is the core challenge.

How they like to work

Guardtime operates overwhelmingly as a specialist partner (10 of 12 projects), joining large consortia to provide their blockchain and data integrity technology as a horizontal capability. With 256 unique partners across 32 countries, they are a well-connected hub rather than a repeat-partner organization — they plug into diverse consortia wherever trust infrastructure is needed. Their two coordinator roles (PRIViLEDGE, TNT) were both blockchain/trust-focused, suggesting they lead only when the project aligns squarely with their core product.

Guardtime has built a remarkably wide network of 256 unique partners across 32 countries through 12 projects — an average of over 21 partners per project. Their reach spans nearly all of Europe, reflecting their role as a horizontal technology provider that fits into many different domain-specific consortia.

What sets them apart

Guardtime is one of very few SMEs that can offer production-grade blockchain infrastructure for data integrity verification — not just research prototypes. Their ability to apply the same core technology across energy, health, security, and industrial data makes them an unusually versatile consortium partner. For any project where data authenticity, tamper-proofing, or trust between parties is a requirement, Guardtime brings a proven commercial product (KSI blockchain) rather than starting from scratch.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TNT
  Their largest project (EUR 1.9M) as coordinator, focused squarely on their core mission — truth and trust in data — under the SME instrument.
• PRIViLEDGE
  Coordinator role in privacy-enhancing cryptography for distributed ledgers — demonstrates R&D leadership in their core blockchain domain.
• ECHO
  Major pan-European cybersecurity network with EUR 680K funding — positioned Guardtime within the EU's cybersecurity competence centre ecosystem.