NEXANS DEUTSCHLAND GMBH

Their core work

Nexans Deutschland GmbH is the German subsidiary of Nexans, one of the world's largest cable and wire manufacturers, headquartered in Hannover. Their core business is the design and manufacture of high-performance cables, cable systems, and associated insulation materials for energy infrastructure, aerospace, and industrial markets. In H2020, they contributed as an industrial third party — bringing manufacturing expertise, materials knowledge, and product validation capacity to research consortia rather than leading research themselves. Their two projects reveal a specific technical niche: advanced electrical insulation (nanocomposite materials for DC grid applications) and safety-critical high-voltage cable systems for aerospace platforms.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only two projects spanning 2017–2019 and no keyword-level data, the evolution picture is limited but readable from project titles. The 2017 project (GRIDABLE) addressed grid-side challenges — insulation materials for DC storage and renewable integration — reflecting the energy transition wave of that period. By 2019, their focus shifted to aerospace (HIVACS, Clean Sky 2), a higher-specification, safety-regulated domain where cable performance requirements are far more demanding. This progression — from energy grid materials to aerospace-grade HV systems — suggests Nexans Deutschland was deliberately expanding its R&D footprint into transport electrification, not just power infrastructure.

Nexans Deutschland appears to be moving its collaborative R&D toward electrified transport and aerospace, sectors where high-voltage cable specifications are most demanding and where industrial partners with certified manufacturing capability are scarce — making them a valuable consortium asset for future aviation or e-mobility projects.

How they like to work

Nexans Deutschland participates exclusively as a third party — never as coordinator or formal participant — which is typical for large industrial companies that contribute validated materials, prototypes, or testing infrastructure without taking on project management responsibilities. This role signals that they are brought in as industrial validators or technology providers rather than research drivers. With 16 consortium partners across 8 countries reached through just 2 projects, they joined well-populated consortia, suggesting their participation was sought for specific industrial credibility rather than for broad networking.

Through two projects, Nexans Deutschland connected with 16 unique partners across 8 countries — an above-average network density for this project count, indicating they joined medium-to-large consortia. Their Clean Sky 2 participation (HIVACS) in particular implies contact with major aerospace OEMs and tier-1 suppliers across Europe.

What sets them apart

Nexans Deutschland brings something rare in EU research consortia: a non-SME cable manufacturer with both the materials science depth to work on nanocomposite insulation R&D and the industrial scale to translate lab results into manufacturable products. For consortia working on grid electrification, aerospace wiring, or EV charging infrastructure, having a Nexans subsidiary as third party provides direct access to cable industry standards, test benches, and industrial qualification pathways that purely academic partners cannot offer. They are not a research organization dressing up as industry — they are a production-grade industrial partner with genuine stakes in commercializing the outcomes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HIVACS
  Participation in Clean Sky 2 — the EU's flagship aerospace R&D program — signals that Nexans Deutschland meets the stringent qualification bar for aerospace-grade cable systems, a credential few cable manufacturers hold.
• GRIDABLE
  Nanocomposite insulation for DC storage integration sits at the intersection of materials science and grid modernization, positioning Nexans Deutschland in the supply chain for next-generation HVDC infrastructure.