SMARTEC SA

Their core work

SMARTEC is a Swiss SME specializing in sensor technology for structural health monitoring and condition-based maintenance. They develop and supply monitoring solutions — likely fiber optic and embedded sensors — used to assess the integrity of transport infrastructure, aircraft structures, and industrial facilities. In H2020, they contributed sensing expertise to projects focused on predictive maintenance, safety risk assessment, and real-time structural monitoring across transport and industrial domains.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SMARTEC's early H2020 involvement (2016) was broad, spanning petrochemical plant resilience and general transport infrastructure monitoring. By 2018, their focus sharpened toward aircraft-specific condition-based maintenance, incorporating edge computing and data analytics alongside their core sensor capabilities. This suggests a trajectory from pure hardware sensing toward intelligent, software-enhanced monitoring systems.

SMARTEC is evolving from a sensor hardware supplier into a provider of integrated sensing-plus-analytics solutions, with growing specialization in aerospace maintenance.

How they like to work

SMARTEC never coordinates projects — they join as a participant or third-party specialist, contributing specific sensor and monitoring expertise to larger consortia. Despite only three projects, they have worked with 40 partners across 14 countries, indicating they integrate well into large, diverse research teams. Their role is that of a focused technology contributor rather than a project driver.

SMARTEC has built a broad network of 40 unique partners across 14 countries through just three projects, suggesting they participate in large consortia with wide European reach. Their network spans transport, aerospace, and industrial safety research communities.

What sets them apart

SMARTEC occupies a niche as a Swiss sensor SME that bridges the gap between physical monitoring hardware and the emerging needs of predictive, data-driven maintenance. Their cross-domain experience — petrochemical plants, road/rail infrastructure, aircraft — means they understand structural integrity challenges across very different operating environments. For consortium builders, they offer proven sensor expertise with the flexibility to apply it in new domains.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ReMAP
  Their largest funded project (EUR 499K), focused on real-time condition-based maintenance for aircraft — represents their clearest technology showcase combining sensors, edge computing, and data analytics.
• RAGTIME
  Addressed multimodal transport infrastructure management through risk-based approaches, demonstrating SMARTEC's ability to apply monitoring tech across transport modes.
• XP-RESILIENCE
  Unusual cross-sector application: structural monitoring applied to petrochemical plant protection against extreme loading, showing versatility beyond transport.