QUARDLOCK APS

Their core work

QUARDLOCK APS is a Danish security technology company that developed QuardCard — a smart card combining biometric fingerprint authentication with a dynamic one-time password system for both online and physical payment transactions. Their core product addresses the vulnerability of static PINs and passwords in financial transactions by generating a new authentication code for every use, tied to the cardholder's fingerprint. The company pursued the full SME Instrument pathway (Phase 1 feasibility in 2016, Phase 2 market development 2017–2020), suggesting they moved from concept validation to commercial deployment readiness. Their work sits at the intersection of hardware security tokens, biometrics, and fintech payment infrastructure.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

QUARDLOCK's two H2020 projects are both named QuardCard and share the same technology concept, so there is no thematic pivot — this is a single-product company that used EU funding to mature one idea from feasibility study to market-ready product. The early-period (Phase 1, 2016) carried no recorded keywords, reflecting its exploratory nature, while the later period (Phase 2, 2017–2020) produced a dense cluster of application-specific terms — e-commerce, online banking, financial market, payment infrastructure — showing the team had moved from hardware prototyping toward go-to-market positioning. The trajectory is depth, not breadth: they went further into one niche rather than expanding into new domains.

QUARDLOCK appears to have been on a commercialisation path for their QuardCard product through the end of the H2020 period; any future collaboration would most naturally extend into fintech certification, banking sector pilots, or integration with digital identity frameworks.

How they like to work

QUARDLOCK has never led an H2020 project — both participations were as a partner, consistent with a product-focused SME using the SME Instrument as a funding vehicle rather than a consortium-building exercise. Their network is exceptionally narrow: one unique partner in one country across two projects, suggesting they operated largely independently or with a single, trusted support partner. Working with them likely means engaging a focused product company rather than a broad research collaborator.

QUARDLOCK's H2020 network consists of a single partner in Denmark — an unusually small footprint even by SME Instrument standards, where solo or near-solo applications are common. There is no evidence of cross-border consortium experience.

What sets them apart

QUARDLOCK occupies a very specific niche: a hardware-level biometric OTP solution embedded in a standard card form factor, targeting both card-present and card-not-present fraud simultaneously. Unlike software authentication vendors, their value proposition is a physical device that removes the need for a separate OTP token or mobile app. For a consortium needing a component-level payment security demonstrator or a fintech pilot partner, they offer a tangible, testable product rather than a research concept.

Highlights from their portfolio

• QuardCard (Phase 2)
  The largest funded project (EUR 708,750 under SME-2) represents the full development and market validation stage of the biometric OTP smart card, making it the most complete evidence of QUARDLOCK's technical and commercial capabilities.
• QuardCard (Phase 1)
  The Phase 1 feasibility study (2016) marks the starting point of QUARDLOCK's EU-funded journey and confirms the company passed the EC's viability assessment before receiving the larger Phase 2 grant.