NANOPLUS ADVANCED PHOTONICS GERBRUNN GMBH

Their core work

nanoplus is a German SME that manufactures single-mode semiconductor laser diodes and light sources in the near- and mid-infrared spectral range, including interband cascade lasers (ICLs) and quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). These devices are the core hardware enabling precision gas sensing, molecular spectroscopy, and chemical detection systems. In H2020 projects, nanoplus contributes as a photonic component supplier and technology partner, providing the specialized laser sources that researchers and engineers integrate into sensor prototypes. Their products sit at the hardware layer of the photonic sensing value chain — without reliable mid-infrared emitters, the entire sensing system cannot function.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects were launched simultaneously in 2021, so there is no meaningful early-versus-late timeline to analyze within this dataset — the keyword shift shown in the analytics simply reflects which project had tagged keywords in the raw data, not a chronological evolution. What can be said is that both projects point in the same direction: nanoplus is consistently focused on mid-infrared laser components applied to spectroscopic sensing, with applications spanning environmental monitoring (PASSEPARTOUT) and food safety (PHOTONFOOD). If there is a directional signal, it is that their technology is being pulled toward real-world, portable sensing products rather than remaining in fundamental photonics research.

nanoplus is moving from pure component supply toward embedded participation in end-to-end sensing solutions, making them increasingly attractive as a hardware anchor for consortia targeting portable or inline spectroscopy products.

How they like to work

nanoplus has participated exclusively as a partner — never as a coordinator — across both recorded H2020 projects. This is consistent with the profile of a specialized component manufacturer that joins application-focused consortia to supply enabling hardware, rather than lead system-level research programs. Despite only two projects, they have connected with 32 unique partners across 14 countries, suggesting they are embedded in a broad photonics and sensing ecosystem where their components are in demand from multiple research teams simultaneously.

nanoplus has collaborated with 32 unique partners across 14 countries from just two projects, indicating dense, multi-partner consortia rather than bilateral arrangements. Their network spans European research institutions and industry players in the photonics and sensing space, with no single geographic concentration identifiable from the available data.

What sets them apart

nanoplus occupies a rare niche: they are one of very few SMEs in Europe that commercially manufactures single-mode interband cascade lasers and quantum cascade lasers — components that most research groups cannot build themselves and must source externally. This makes them a near-irreplaceable hardware supplier for any consortium working on mid-infrared spectroscopy, gas sensing, or photonic lab-on-chip systems. For a consortium builder, bringing nanoplus in early means securing access to specialized laser sources that determine whether the entire sensing system can be prototyped at all.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PASSEPARTOUT
  The largest single award (€414K) and broadest scope — portable photoacoustic and photothermal sensor systems — placing nanoplus at the center of a push toward field-deployable molecular spectroscopy instruments.
• PHOTONFOOD
  Directly targets a high-value commercial market (food safety from farm to fork), demonstrating that nanoplus's mid-infrared technology is being validated in regulatory and industrial supply-chain contexts, not just academic labs.