MICROGATE SRL

Their core work

Microgate is an Italian SME based in Bolzano specializing in real-time computing hardware and adaptive optics control systems. They develop high-performance, energy-efficient computing solutions for applications that demand extreme speed and determinism — from astronomical telescope control to industrial cyber-physical systems. Their H2020 work spans real-time HPC architectures, reduced-order modelling for coupled physical systems, and parallel programming models for heterogeneous computing platforms. They sit at the intersection of precision hardware engineering and computational science, providing the real-time data acquisition and processing backbone that complex scientific instruments require.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Microgate entered H2020 through greenFLASH (2015), focused squarely on energy-efficient HPC hardware for real-time scientific applications like telescope control. From 2017 onward, their scope broadened significantly — ROMSOC brought them into computational modelling across diverse industrial domains (finance, blood pumps, blast furnaces, power networks), while maintaining the adaptive optics thread. By 2020 with Rising STARS, they pivoted toward generalizing their real-time expertise to cyber-physical systems and heterogeneous computing platforms, signalling a move from astronomy-specific hardware toward broader industrial real-time applications.

Microgate is broadening from astronomy-specific real-time computing toward general-purpose industrial cyber-physical systems and heterogeneous HPC platforms — expect them to target manufacturing, automotive, and critical infrastructure applications next.

How they like to work

Microgate operates exclusively as a specialist contributor in consortia, never leading projects but bringing specific hardware and real-time computing expertise that larger research teams need. With 39 unique partners across 12 countries from just 3 projects, they participate in sizeable international consortia (averaging 13+ partners per project). Their involvement in both Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions and Research & Innovation Actions suggests they are valued for both training and hands-on technical delivery.

Despite only 3 projects, Microgate has built a broad European network of 39 partners across 12 countries, indicating they join large, well-connected consortia. Their participation in both MSCA training networks and RIA projects gives them exposure to both academic and applied research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

Microgate occupies a rare niche as an SME that bridges precision real-time hardware with advanced computational science. While many companies do HPC or many do embedded systems, few combine deterministic real-time control with high-performance parallel computing at the level needed for adaptive optics and industrial cyber-physical systems. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find: a private company with production-grade real-time engineering capability that can also engage meaningfully with mathematical modelling and simulation research.

Highlights from their portfolio

• greenFLASH
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 980,919) — focused on building energy-efficient real-time HPC specifically for next-generation astronomical adaptive optics.
• ROMSOC
  Unusually broad application scope for an SME — connecting adaptive optics expertise with computational finance, blood pump simulation, and industrial process modelling through a single mathematical framework.
• Rising STARS
  Most recent project (2020-2025) signals strategic pivot toward generalized real-time systems for cyber-physical applications beyond astronomy.