HENKEL ELECTRONIC MATERIALS BELGIUMNV

Their core work

Henkel Electronic Materials Belgium is the Belgian arm of Henkel's electronic materials division, specializing in advanced materials for electronics, photovoltaics, and nano-enabled conducting applications. They supply specialty chemicals and material solutions — adhesives, coatings, and conducting materials — that enable device manufacturers to improve performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency. Their H2020 involvement focuses on translating material science into industrial-ready products across energy harvesting, IoT devices, and solar module manufacturing.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2016-2017) centered on miniaturized electronic materials — energy harvesting for IoT devices and nano-conducting materials for electronics. By 2019, their focus shifted decisively toward photovoltaic manufacturing, contributing materials expertise to advanced solar cell architectures (SHJ, IBC, shingle modules) and building-integrated PV. This trajectory shows a clear move from small-scale electronics toward large-scale energy materials with higher commercial impact.

Henkel Electronic Materials is pivoting toward the booming European PV manufacturing supply chain, making them a relevant partner for solar energy and BIPV projects.

How they like to work

Henkel Electronic Materials operates exclusively as a participant, never leading consortia — consistent with a large industrial supplier contributing specialized materials know-how rather than driving research agendas. With 73 unique partners across just 3 projects, they join large, well-funded Innovation Action consortia (averaging ~24 partners per project). This suggests they are a trusted industrial materials partner that large consortia seek out for their manufacturing-ready expertise.

Despite only three projects, Henkel Electronic Materials has collaborated with 73 unique partners across 13 countries, reflecting their integration into large European innovation consortia spanning the electronics and energy sectors.

What sets them apart

As a division of Henkel AG — one of the world's largest chemical companies — they bring industrial-scale manufacturing capability and supply chain reliability that academic or SME partners simply cannot match. Their specific value lies at the intersection of advanced material formulation and industrial applicability: they don't just develop materials, they can produce and supply them at scale. For consortium builders, partnering with Henkel Electronic Materials adds immediate industrial credibility and a realistic path from prototype to market.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NECOMADA
  Their largest single funding (EUR 341,688) and most aligned with their core business — accelerating nano-enabled conducting materials from lab to device integration.
• HighLite
  Signals their strategic pivot toward PV manufacturing, covering the full spectrum of advanced solar technologies (c-Si, SHJ, IBC, shingle, BIPV, VIPV) with a focus on cost-competitive EU production.