OPTIMAT LIMITED

Their core work

Optimat is a Glasgow-based management consultancy specializing in research policy analysis, programme evaluation, and risk governance for European public-public partnerships. They help design, monitor, and assess joint programming initiatives such as ERA-NETs and JPIs, bridging science policy with practical implementation. They also bring structured risk assessment and governance frameworks to emerging technology areas including nanomaterials and plastics safety, translating complex scientific evidence into actionable policy and management guidance.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Optimat focused heavily on science policy infrastructure — evaluating and strengthening European joint programming instruments like ERA-NETs, JPIs, and public procurement platforms. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward risk governance for emerging materials and technologies, including nanotechnology safety frameworks, lithium-sulphur battery safety, and micro/nano-plastics health impacts. This evolution shows a consultancy moving from policy process design toward applied risk assessment in high-concern technology domains.

Optimat is pivoting from general research policy consulting toward specialized risk governance for materials safety — a growing regulatory priority in the EU under the Chemicals Strategy and Green Deal.

How they like to work

Optimat operates primarily as a participant (6 of 8 projects), joining larger consortia where their analytical and governance expertise complements technical partners. With 89 unique partners across 19 countries, they connect broadly rather than repeatedly, suggesting they are valued as a flexible specialist brought in for specific assessment and evaluation tasks. Their two coordinator roles (CEPPI 2 and PlasticsFatE) show growing confidence in leading projects, particularly in their risk governance niche.

Optimat has built a wide European network spanning 89 unique partners across 19 countries, reflecting their role as a cross-cutting consultancy that integrates into diverse consortia rather than anchoring a fixed cluster of collaborators.

What sets them apart

Optimat occupies a rare niche as a private SME that combines deep knowledge of EU research programming mechanics with hands-on risk governance capability. Where most policy consultancies stay abstract, Optimat applies their framework expertise to concrete safety challenges in nanomaterials, plastics, and batteries. For consortium builders, they offer a partner who can both design the evaluation methodology for a project and deliver substantive risk assessment work — an unusual combination in a small firm.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PlasticsFatE
  Coordinated by Optimat — a health-focused project on micro/nano-plastics fate in the human body, representing their strongest move into applied risk assessment leadership.
• ERA-LEARN 2020
  Their largest single project by funding (EUR 352K), central to European joint programming policy — positions Optimat as a recognized authority on P2P partnership evaluation.
• NANORIGO
  Established a nanotechnology risk governance framework, demonstrating Optimat's ability to contribute structured risk methodology to technically complex domains.