INKRON OY

Their core work

Inkron is a Finnish specialty materials SME based in Espoo developing advanced functional materials — particularly silicon-based and optical-grade formulations — for electronics and photonics applications. In H2020 projects, they have contributed materials expertise to both circular economy supply chains (recovery and reuse of indium, silicon, and silver) and next-generation sensor fabrication enabled by additive manufacturing. Their practical value lies in bridging materials chemistry with electronics packaging needs, making them a component-level technology supplier rather than a system integrator. They operate as a focused niche supplier whose laboratory-scale expertise translates directly into industrial manufacturing processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the first phase (2015–2018), Inkron's participation was oriented toward the upstream end of the electronics materials supply chain — specifically, recovering and reprocessing critical raw materials like indium and silicon through circular economy approaches in CABRISS. By 2020, their focus had shifted downstream toward application-level manufacturing: TINKER targets the fabrication of finished sensor packages using additive manufacturing, which implies formulating materials that are compatible with printing or deposition processes. This trajectory shows a company moving from raw materials recovery toward functional materials designed for advanced manufacturing workflows — a commercially more direct and higher-margin position.

Inkron is moving toward application-ready functional materials for advanced electronics manufacturing, particularly where additive processes (printing, deposition) require purpose-formulated material inputs — a growing need across the sensor and photonics industries.

How they like to work

Inkron joins consortia as a specialist participant and has not led any H2020 project, consistent with the profile of a focused SME that contributes a specific technical capability rather than managing the full project. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 32 unique partners across 11 countries, indicating involvement in large, multi-stakeholder consortia rather than small bilateral arrangements. This suggests they are comfortable operating within complex project structures and are chosen for their specific materials expertise rather than for administrative or coordination capacity.

Inkron has built a network of 32 unique consortium partners across 11 countries from just two projects, averaging around 16 partners per project — well above the H2020 SME average. Their reach is fully European in scope, typical of IA and RIA consortia that span research institutes, industrial partners, and technology providers across multiple member states.

What sets them apart

Inkron occupies a rare position as a Finnish deep-tech SME that connects specialty materials chemistry with practical electronics manufacturing — a combination few small companies can credibly offer. Their participation in both a circular economy project and an advanced sensor fabrication project demonstrates materials expertise that is relevant across the full electronics value chain, from resource recovery to end-product packaging. For consortium builders, they bring an industrial-scale, commercially-oriented materials perspective that complements academic partners and system integrators.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TINKER
  Their largest funded project (€486,255, running through 2024) places them at the intersection of additive manufacturing and sensor packaging — one of the fastest-growing areas in industrial electronics.
• CABRISS
  An early-stage IA project addressing circular economy recovery of indium and silicon, demonstrating Inkron's materials credentials in critical raw materials at a time when EU supply chain resilience was becoming a policy priority.