SYNAPTOLOGICS BV

Their core work

Synaptologics BV (commercially known as Sylics) is a Dutch contract research organization specializing in automated behavioral phenotyping of rodents for neuroscience and psychiatric drug research. They provide preclinical testing services — running standardized mouse and rat behavioral assays in their HomeCageScan system — to pharmaceutical companies and academic labs investigating neurological and psychiatric conditions. Their participation in COSYN placed them directly in the synapse biology and psychiatric comorbidity space, where they contribute experimental behavioral data to large research consortia. Their involvement in EQIPD reflects a parallel commitment to improving the reproducibility and quality standards of preclinical research across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only two projects and no keyword data available for either period, a precise evolution analysis is not possible. Both projects started within one year of each other (2016 and 2017) and ran concurrently, suggesting Synaptologics entered H2020 with an already-defined niche rather than pivoting over time. The pairing of COSYN (disease-focused research) and EQIPD (methodology and quality) suggests they positioned themselves simultaneously as both a scientific contributor and a quality-standards advocate in preclinical neuroscience.

Based on their dual participation in disease-focused and quality-standards projects, Synaptologics appears positioned to grow as a trusted preclinical CRO partner in CNS research consortia — particularly as regulatory pressure on reproducibility increases.

How they like to work

Synaptologics participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a specialist service provider contributing defined experimental capabilities rather than leading research programs. Despite only two projects, they worked with 42 unique partners across 11 countries, indicating they joined large, multinational consortia (both RIA and IMI2-RIA structures tend to involve 15–30+ partners). This suggests they are comfortable operating within complex multi-partner arrangements where their behavioral phenotyping niche fills a specific technical slot.

Synaptologics has built a surprisingly broad network for a two-project organization — 42 unique partners across 11 countries, driven by participation in large RIA and IMI2 consortia. Their network is pan-European and likely includes major academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutes active in CNS and psychiatric research.

What sets them apart

Synaptologics occupies a rare niche as a commercial SME offering automated, standardized rodent behavioral phenotyping as a service — a capability most academic partners in neuroscience consortia cannot replicate in-house at scale. Their HomeCageScan technology enables continuous, automated behavioral monitoring that generates reproducible datasets, which is exactly what EQIPD-type quality initiatives require. For a consortium building a CNS or psychiatric research project, they offer a ready-made experimental service layer with existing EU collaboration experience.

Highlights from their portfolio

• COSYN
  The largest of their two projects (€650K), focusing on synapse biology and comorbidity across psychiatric disorders — directly aligned with the company's core scientific identity and representing the bulk of their H2020 funding.
• EQIPD
  An IMI2-funded initiative to set European quality standards for preclinical data — notable because it positions Synaptologics not just as a research executor but as a contributor to field-wide methodology standards.