INILABS AG

Their core work

IniLabs AG is a Swiss technology SME specializing in neuromorphic vision hardware — sensors and processors that replicate how biological retinas encode visual information. Their work sits at the intersection of neuroscience and embedded systems, producing hardware capable of processing visual input the way the eye does rather than through conventional frame-based cameras. In H2020, they contributed specialist technology to a Marie Curie training network on retinal visual processing and separately received an ERC Proof of Concept grant to develop a commercial embedded neuromorphic sensory processor — a pattern that signals both research credibility and product-development ambition. For prospective partners, they are a hardware specialist that can translate neuroscience-inspired computation into real deployable devices.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects started within a single year (2015–2016), so there is no meaningful long-term trajectory to extract from this dataset alone. What is visible is a shift in funding logic: the first project (switchBoard) embedded IniLabs in a multi-partner scientific training network focused on fundamental retinal research, while the second (NeuroPsense) was a lean ERC Proof of Concept aimed at converting that science into a commercial device. This two-step pattern — join an academic consortium to deepen research credibility, then exploit results commercially — suggests a deliberate technology-readiness progression rather than a change in domain focus.

IniLabs appears to be moving from scientific research partnerships toward standalone hardware products, using EU funding as a bridge between academic validation and commercial deployment.

How they like to work

IniLabs has participated exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — across both projects, consistent with the profile of a specialist SME that contributes unique technology rather than leading large programmes. Their 15 partners across 9 countries from just 2 projects indicates involvement in medium-to-large international consortia, typical of MSCA training networks. Working with them likely means engaging a focused hardware contributor rather than a project management hub.

IniLabs has built a network of 15 partners across 9 countries through 2 projects, a relatively broad geographic spread for a company of this size. The MSCA-ITN structure of switchBoard likely accounts for most of that breadth, as training networks typically span multiple European research institutions.

What sets them apart

IniLabs occupies a rare niche as a Swiss SME that produces neuromorphic vision hardware — a field where most players are either large semiconductor companies or university spin-offs still at prototype stage. Their combination of an MSCA training network participation and an ERC Proof of Concept grant gives them dual credibility: recognised by the scientific community as a research partner and recognised by ERC as a commercial-readiness candidate. For a consortium that needs a specialist in bio-inspired sensing hardware to bridge academic research and deployable technology, they are a difficult profile to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NeuroPsense
  Funded via ERC Proof of Concept — one of the most competitive and selective EU instruments — signalling that IniLabs' neuromorphic sensor work was judged to have genuine commercial potential by independent reviewers.
• switchBoard
  Largest budget project (EUR 265,227) and participation in an MSCA European Training Network, demonstrating integration into an international academic community studying retinal visual computation.