HIL APPLIED MEDICAL LTD

Their core work

HIL Applied Medical develops an ultra-compact, cost-effective proton therapy system for cancer treatment, using high-intensity laser technology and nanotechnology to dramatically reduce the size and cost of proton beam facilities. Traditional proton therapy centers require massive, expensive cyclotron-based installations; HIL's approach aims to make this precise cancer treatment accessible to far more hospitals. The company has secured over €5.5 million in EU funding across four projects, all focused on advancing this single core technology from feasibility through to commercial readiness.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

HIL's focus has remained remarkably consistent across all four projects from 2017 to 2023 — laser-based compact proton therapy is their singular mission. The evolution is one of maturity rather than topic shift: the 2017 project (€50K, SME-1) was a feasibility study, followed by progressively larger SME-2 and IA grants totaling over €5.4M for development and commercialization. The increasing emphasis on nano-technology in later projects suggests refinement of the technical approach, but the core problem — making proton therapy smaller and cheaper — has not changed.

HIL is moving from R&D toward market-ready deployment of their compact proton therapy system, making them increasingly relevant for hospital equipment manufacturers and oncology center developers.

How they like to work

HIL operates almost exclusively as a project coordinator — all four H2020 projects were led by them, which is unusual for an SME. Their consortia are extremely small, with only 2 unique partners across 2 countries, indicating they run lean, tightly controlled projects rather than large multi-partner efforts. This suggests a company protective of its core IP that prefers focused technical partnerships over broad consortium-building.

HIL has a very narrow collaboration network — just 2 unique partners across 2 countries over four projects. This minimal network reflects a deep-tech SME focused on proprietary technology development rather than broad European consortium building.

What sets them apart

HIL occupies a rare niche: an Israeli SME developing a fundamentally different approach to proton therapy using lasers instead of conventional cyclotrons. While most proton therapy companies compete on incremental improvements to existing accelerator-based systems, HIL's laser-based approach promises a step-change in size and cost. Their sustained EU funding across four successive projects — all self-coordinated — demonstrates strong confidence from evaluators in both the team and the technology's commercial viability.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HIL PT System (2019-2022)
  Largest single grant at €2.35M (SME-2), representing the major scale-up from feasibility to full development of the compact proton therapy system.
• LPT
  Explicitly frames the laser-based approach as a distinct product line, suggesting technology diversification or a parallel development track within the proton therapy domain.
• HIL PT System (2017-2018)
  The €50K SME-1 feasibility study that launched the entire funding trajectory, validating the concept that attracted over €5.4M in subsequent grants.