INSTITUT SINANO ASSOCIATION

Their core work

SINANO is a Grenoble-based research association focused on nanoelectronics, serving as a coordination and access point for European semiconductor and nanofabrication research infrastructure. They contribute expertise in CMOS and beyond-CMOS device technologies, including nanowire sensors, advanced memory architectures, and 3D integration. More recently, they have expanded into brain-computer interface technologies, bridging nanoelectronics with medical device development for neuroprosthetics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015-2019), SINANO focused squarely on semiconductor fundamentals — CMOS roadmapping, sensor technologies, and nanowire-based biosensor integration. From 2020 onward, two distinct shifts emerged: first, a move toward research infrastructure provision through ASCENTPlus, offering access to advanced fabrication capabilities like finFETs and 2D materials; second, a surprising pivot into biomedical territory with the B-CRATOS brain-computer interface project. This evolution suggests an organization moving from pure nanoelectronics research toward applied, interdisciplinary uses of its core semiconductor expertise.

SINANO is diversifying from traditional semiconductor research into bioelectronics and medical devices, making them a potential partner for projects at the nanoelectronics-health intersection.

How they like to work

SINANO operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project. With 34 unique partners across 14 countries from just 4 projects, they plug into large, well-connected consortia rather than leading them. This profile suggests a specialized contributor that brings targeted nanoelectronics expertise to broader initiatives, making them a low-friction partner to integrate into new consortia.

Despite only 4 projects, SINANO has built a notably wide network of 34 partners across 14 countries, reflecting participation in large European consortia. Their Grenoble base places them in one of Europe's premier nanoelectronics clusters alongside CEA-Leti and STMicroelectronics.

What sets them apart

SINANO sits at the intersection of nanoelectronics research coordination and infrastructure access, based in Grenoble — arguably Europe's strongest semiconductor ecosystem. Their combination of deep CMOS/beyond-CMOS knowledge with emerging work in brain-computer interfaces is unusual for a research association of this size. For consortium builders, they offer a compact partner that brings both nanoelectronics fabrication access and cross-sector reach into medical devices.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASCENTPlus
  Their largest project by far (EUR 389K of 657K total), providing transnational access to European nanoelectronics infrastructure — a gateway to advanced fabrication capabilities.
• B-CRATOS
  Represents a bold cross-sector move into wireless brain-machine interfaces and neuroprosthetics, applying nanoelectronics expertise to medical device development.
• NEREID
  Nanoelectronics roadmapping project that positioned SINANO in the strategic planning layer of European semiconductor research priorities.