INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ASTROFISICA OPTICA Y ELECTRONICA

Their core work

INAOE is Mexico's national research institute for astrophysics, optics, and electronics, based in Puebla. It runs graduate programs and research groups covering photonics, optical instrumentation, computer science, and electronic systems, and operates major scientific facilities including the Large Millimeter Telescope. In its H2020 engagements, INAOE contributed applied computer-science expertise (e-learning platforms, IoT/smart-city SDKs) and acted as a non-EU partner in a photonics mobility program, bringing Latin American research capacity into European consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

All three H2020 engagements launched in 2016, so no meaningful early-versus-late pivot is visible in the dataset. What does stand out is a dual identity: short digital/ICT participations (TeSLA, SmartSDK, both closing by 2019) alongside a much longer photonics-mobility commitment (MULTIPLY, running through 2022). By the back half of the period their only active EU-linked activity was photonics training, suggesting their European footprint narrowed toward their core optics mandate.

Their sustained European presence is in photonics mobility, so future collaborations are most likely to land in optics, laser technology, and researcher-exchange schemes rather than ICT.

How they like to work

INAOE joins EU consortia as a participant or third-party partner rather than leading them, which is typical for non-EU institutions under H2020 rules. Across just three projects they touched 71 distinct partners in 27 countries, meaning each engagement was a large, diverse consortium rather than a tight repeat network. Expect them to contribute specialist input and act as a Latin American anchor rather than as the organizational backbone.

Connected to 71 unique partners across 27 countries despite only three projects, reflecting participation in large EU consortia with a Mexico-anchored link to Latin American research.

What sets them apart

INAOE is one of the few Mexican research institutes with a verified H2020 track record, making it a natural bridge for European consortia that need a credible Latin American partner in photonics, optics, or applied ICT. It brings access to Mexican graduate talent, optical-instrumentation infrastructure, and a different regulatory and market context — useful for projects targeting international mobility, dissemination, or LATAM validation. Partner with them when geographic diversification and optics/electronics depth matter more than EU-internal coordination.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SmartSDK
  FIWARE-based smart-city SDK project connecting INAOE to the EU's open-source IoT platform ecosystem.
• MULTIPLY
  Long-running MSCA-COFUND photonics mobility programme (2016–2022) and the only project where INAOE's core optics mandate directly aligns with the EU work.
• TeSLA
  Applied computer-science participation in a widely-cited EU e-assessment pilot, showing INAOE's reach beyond its traditional astronomy/optics remit.