IRUBIS GMBH

Their core work

IRUBIS GmbH is a Munich-based deep-tech SME developing single-use infrared spectroscopy sensors for real-time monitoring of bioreactors in pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing. Their core product — SUPAIR — is an FTIR-ATR (Fourier-transform infrared attenuated total reflectance) probe designed to integrate directly into single-use bioreactor systems, enabling continuous, non-destructive measurement of critical process parameters during biopharmaceutical production. They sit at the intersection of process analytical technology (PAT) and biomanufacturing, helping production facilities replace offline lab sampling with in-line spectroscopic monitoring. Their commercial value is in reducing batch failure risk and regulatory burden for manufacturers of biologics, vaccines, and cell therapies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IRUBIS has an extremely compact but focused H2020 history: a 2019 Phase 1 feasibility study (EUR 50,000, no keywords recorded) followed by a 2020–2022 Phase 2 scale-up (EUR 1.3M, rich keyword set). The absence of early-period keywords simply reflects the pre-competitive nature of the Phase 1 study, while the recent-period keywords tell the full story — by 2020 the technology direction was fully defined around FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, PAT, biomanufacturing, and biopharmaceuticals. There is no shift or pivot; this is a single-technology company that progressed from concept validation to product development within the H2020 programme.

IRUBIS is on a commercialization trajectory for a very specific instrument — single-use FTIR-ATR bioreactor probes — and their Phase 2 completion in 2022 suggests they are now in product launch or scale-up mode rather than seeking further fundamental research funding.

How they like to work

IRUBIS has operated exclusively as a solo coordinator under the EU SME Instrument, which by design does not require consortium partners. This tells us they are a self-contained technology developer, not a consortium-dependent research group. Anyone considering working with them should expect a direct technology-provider relationship rather than a shared research collaboration — they likely bring a finished or near-finished instrument, not open research questions.

IRUBIS has zero recorded consortium partners across both H2020 projects, consistent with the solo-applicant SME Instrument format. Their network, if any, is commercial rather than academic — customer relationships with biopharma manufacturers, not research co-investigators.

What sets them apart

IRUBIS occupies a very narrow but commercially valuable niche: infrared spectroscopy hardware specifically engineered for single-use bioreactor systems, which are the dominant format in modern biologics and vaccine manufacturing. Most PAT vendors offer multi-use probes that require sterilization validation — IRUBIS targets the single-use workflow directly, removing that barrier. For a consortium builder or biopharma company, they represent a specialist instrument provider rather than a broad research partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SUPAIR Spectroscopy (SME-2)
  At EUR 1.316M, this Phase 2 SME Instrument grant represents a full product development mandate and is the largest single H2020 award in their portfolio — rare for a two-person-scale deep-tech SME.
• SUPAIR Spectroscopy (SME-1)
  The EUR 50,000 Phase 1 feasibility study in 2019 confirms independent EU validation of their core concept before the larger grant, demonstrating a clean SME Instrument Phase 1 → Phase 2 progression.