INTERNATIONAL IBERIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY

Their core work

INL is an intergovernmental research laboratory based in Braga, Portugal, focused on nanotechnology research and its translation into real-world applications across health, energy, food, and electronics. They develop nanomaterials, nanofabrication processes, and nano-enabled devices — from biosensors and photonic chips to functional food coatings and thin-film solar cells. INL also operates as a hub for open innovation, connecting SMEs and large enterprises with advanced technology capabilities through pilot production facilities and brokerage services. Their work spans the full chain from fundamental nanoscience to prototype-level demonstration, making them a bridge between academic research and industrial deployment.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015-2018), INL focused on fundamental nanotechnology applications — Alzheimer's theragnostics, electrocatalysis for fuel cells, thin-film solar cells, and building their fellowship training programme. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted markedly toward quantum photonics, open innovation ecosystems, nanosafety governance, and applied food/agriculture technologies. The recent period also shows INL taking on more coordination roles and moving from pure nanoscience toward platform-level activities: pilot production, technology brokerage for SMEs, and integrated device fabrication.

INL is evolving from a nanomaterials research lab into a technology platform operator — expect them to increasingly offer access infrastructure, pilot production, and industry-facing innovation services alongside their deep nanoscience expertise.

How they like to work

INL balances leadership and partnership almost equally — coordinating 23 of 53 projects (43%), which is unusually high for a research centre and signals strong project management capacity. With 478 unique consortium partners across 36 countries, they operate as a well-connected European hub rather than a closed bilateral partner. Their mix of large RIA consortia, MSCA fellowships, and CSA coordination/support actions shows they are comfortable both running complex multi-partner projects and contributing specialist nanoscience expertise to others' initiatives.

INL has collaborated with 478 distinct partners across 36 countries, making it one of the most broadly networked nanotechnology labs in Europe. While based on the Iberian Peninsula, their partnerships are thoroughly pan-European with no strong geographic bias.

What sets them apart

INL is the only intergovernmental research laboratory in the world dedicated entirely to nanotechnology, jointly founded by Portugal and Spain. This gives them a unique mandate and institutional stability that university labs or private centres cannot match. Their combination of deep nanoscience capability, pilot production infrastructure, and active industry engagement (through projects like PITCCH and EPPN) means they can take a technology from lab-scale synthesis through characterization and safety testing to prototype demonstration — a rare full-chain offering for consortium partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SiNfONiA
  Largest single project (EUR 2.5M EC funding) as coordinator, focused on nanosafety — positions INL as a reference lab for responsible nanotechnology development.
• ChipAI
  Coordinator of a flagship project on neuromorphic nanophotonic chips for AI, signalling INL's push into quantum and photonic computing hardware.
• PITCCH
  Coordinator of a pan-European open innovation network matching corporate challenges with advanced technology providers — shows INL's growing role as an innovation broker, not just a research performer.