KLAS LIMITED

Their core work

Klas Telecom is an Irish SME that builds ruggedized computing and communications hardware for mission-critical environments — think deployable edge servers and hardened networking gear designed for reliability where standard equipment fails. In H2020 projects, they contributed as an industrial partner bringing real-world connectivity and edge computing capabilities to large-scale IoT security research programs. Their participation in both SCOTT and InSecTT positions them as a hardware-layer provider in ecosystems focused on making connected devices secure and trustworthy by design. Their value to research consortia lies in translating theoretical security and AI requirements into deployable, field-tested physical infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only two projects, the evolution is limited but clear: SCOTT (2017-2020) established their foundation in secure, connected IoT with no AI component, focused on connectivity and physical reliability. InSecTT (2020-2023) shifted the emphasis substantially toward intelligence — explainable AI, trustable AI, and cross-domain interoperability entered their profile for the first time. The trajectory points to an organisation that started as a hardware and connectivity provider and is progressively integrating AI-layer concerns into its work, likely driven by demand from the systems their hardware supports.

Klas Telecom is moving from pure connectivity and security hardware toward platforms that embed intelligence and explainability, making them increasingly relevant to AI-driven industrial IoT and autonomous systems programmes.

How they like to work

Klas has participated in both projects as a consortium member, never as coordinator, which is typical for hardware SMEs contributing deployment capability rather than research leadership. Both projects were large ECSEL-style programmes — 92 unique partners from just two projects indicates they operate comfortably in very large, multi-stakeholder consortia spanning dozens of organisations. This makes them a well-networked participant rather than a project driver, accustomed to fitting into complex governance structures without needing to lead them.

92 unique consortium partners across 16 countries from only two projects — a footprint that reflects the pan-European, heavily multi-partner structure of ECSEL Joint Undertaking programmes. Their network is broad but concentrated in European embedded systems and ICT circles.

What sets them apart

Klas Telecom occupies a specific niche as an Irish hardware SME with field deployment credibility in secure, ruggedized computing — a profile that is rare among the mostly software-focused participants in EU digital research consortia. Where most SMEs in ECSEL programmes contribute software components or system integration services, Klas brings physical infrastructure expertise, which makes them valuable for projects that need to demonstrate real-world deployment beyond laboratory conditions. For a consortium that needs an industrial partner who can prove the technology works in harsh or operationally constrained environments, Klas fills a gap that academic partners and large primes typically cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SCOTT
  Their largest-funded project (EUR 121,094) and their entry point into EU research, establishing their position in the secure-connected-things ecosystem under the ECSEL Joint Undertaking.
• InSecTT
  Marks their pivot into AI-augmented secure systems, introducing explainable AI and cross-domain interoperability to their technical profile — their most recent and forward-looking work.