SETENTA E TRES MIL E CEM LDA

Their core work

This Portuguese SME is the commercial vehicle behind the FucoPol technology — a bio-based production platform for L-Fucose, a rare sugar used as a building block in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional food ingredients. They progressed from feasibility validation (SME Instrument Phase 1) to full-scale development (SME Instrument Phase 2), indicating a company built around commercialising a single proprietary biotechnology. Their work sits at the intersection of industrial biotechnology and specialty ingredients, targeting cost-competitive bio-manufacturing of a high-value compound. As sole coordinator on both projects, they operate as an entrepreneurial deep-tech venture rather than a research consortium player.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The organisation's H2020 history spans only 2016–2020 and covers a single technology trajectory: L-Fucose bio-production. The Phase 1 grant (2016) validated commercial and technical feasibility, while the Phase 2 grant (2017–2020) funded full development and scale-up — a classic SME Instrument progression. There is no observable thematic shift, as both projects share the same title, objective, and focus area. The evolution is one of maturity and scale, not direction change.

This organisation followed a deliberate single-technology commercialisation path through the SME Instrument; any future collaboration would most likely be in licensing, scale-up partnerships, or downstream application development for L-Fucose or related rare sugars.

How they like to work

This organisation has acted exclusively as project coordinator and has recorded zero consortium partners across both projects — consistent with the SME Instrument model, which funds individual companies rather than consortia. Working with them means engaging directly with the technology owner, not navigating a multi-partner structure. They are likely to seek partners for licensing, manufacturing scale-up, or application development rather than joint research consortia.

The available data shows no recorded consortium partners and no international collaborations — both projects were executed as solo SME Instrument grants. Their network, if any, is not reflected in the H2020 participation data.

What sets them apart

This company holds a proprietary bio-based production platform for L-Fucose — a compound that is normally expensive and difficult to source — and has validated it through both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the EU's most competitive SME funding instrument. That dual-phase success is a strong signal of technical credibility and commercial potential. For a food ingredient manufacturer, pharma excipient supplier, or cosmetics company seeking a cost-effective L-Fucose source, this organisation represents a rare direct-to-technology-owner entry point.

Highlights from their portfolio

• FucoPol (Phase 2)
  Largest grant in the portfolio at €1.317M under the highly selective SME Instrument Phase 2, confirming independent expert validation of the FucoPol technology's commercial viability.
• FucoPol (Phase 1)
  Phase 1 feasibility grant that initiated the EU-funded commercialisation pathway, demonstrating the company's ability to navigate competitive deep-tech funding from concept stage.