STICHTING INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN ORGAN AND DISEASE MODEL TECHNOLOGIES

Their core work

HDMT (hDMT) is a Dutch research institute based in Eindhoven that develops and promotes organ-on-a-chip (OoC) and microphysiological systems — miniaturized microfluidic devices that replicate the function of human organs for biomedical research. Their core mission is replacing or reducing animal models in drug development and disease research by providing human-relevant in vitro platforms that incorporate living cells, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). They serve as a specialist node in European research networks, contributing expertise in OoC design, sensor integration, and tissue engineering. Their technology directly enables pharmaceutical companies and academic labs to run toxicity screening and disease modelling on human organ mimics rather than animal surrogates.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

HDMT's two projects span a short but coherent window (2017–2023), both firmly within the organ-on-a-chip domain, so there is no dramatic thematic shift. What changed is depth and scope: ORCHID focused on foundational chip development, while EUROoC expanded into a broader ecosystem — adding iPSC integration, sensor systems, toxicity applications, and a training network dimension (MSCA-ITN). This suggests the organisation moved from pure technology development toward embedding OoC into wider biomedical workflows and building European capacity in the field.

HDMT is deepening its position in the organ-on-a-chip ecosystem by integrating stem cell biology and sensor technology into its platforms, which points toward pharmaceutical and personalised medicine partnerships as the next natural step.

How they like to work

HDMT has not led any H2020 projects — they participated as a partner or third party in both cases, which is consistent with a specialist institute that contributes domain expertise rather than consortium management. Despite only two projects, they engaged with 26 distinct partners across 11 countries, indicating they were embedded in large, multi-partner consortia rather than small bilateral arrangements. This profile suggests they are a reliable specialist node: partners bring them in for OoC expertise, not for administrative leadership.

HDMT has collaborated with 26 unique partners spread across 11 countries, a remarkably wide reach for an organisation with only two projects. The European scope of both ORCHID and EUROoC places their network squarely within the EU biomedical research community.

What sets them apart

HDMT occupies a focused niche that very few European institutes claim as their sole mission: human organ and disease model technologies, with organ-on-a-chip as the primary instrument. Unlike university departments that treat OoC as one of many research lines, hDMT exists specifically to advance and disseminate this technology, making them a concentrated source of expertise. For a consortium that needs credible OoC capability without building it from scratch, HDMT offers direct access to a specialist institute whose entire identity is organised around this technology.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EUROoC
  As an MSCA Innovative Training Network (2018–2023), EUROoC was the largest European coordinated effort to train researchers in organ-on-a-chip technology, and HDMT's participation as a partner signals recognition of their specialist status within the field.
• ORCHID
  ORCHID (Organ on Chip in Development, 2017–2019) was HDMT's entry into H2020 and represents the foundational project that established their position in European OoC research networks.