SYNCOM BV

Their core work

SYNCOM BV is a Dutch contract chemistry SME based in Groningen, specializing in the synthesis and process development of fine chemicals, with documented expertise in chiral compound resolution and biocatalytic transformations. Their participation in the CORE project — focused on continuous crystallization-based deracemization of chiral molecules — points to practical capability in pharmaceutical-grade synthesis processes. In OXYTRAIN they appear as an industry partner supporting research into enzymatic oxygen activation, suggesting they also operate at the biocatalysis–synthetic chemistry interface. As a small company embedded in a strong academic chemistry hub (Groningen hosts a major research university), they likely serve as a contract research and scale-up partner for academic groups and pharmaceutical companies needing specialist synthesis work.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects began within a year of each other (2016 and 2017) and ran concurrently through 2020–2021, so there is no meaningful chronological shift to observe — SYNCOM entered the H2020 landscape already focused on pharmaceutical synthesis chemistry and maintained that focus throughout. The two projects are thematically complementary rather than sequential: CORE covers the physical chemistry of chiral separation by crystallisation, while OXYTRAIN covers enzymatic routes to similar chemical transformations, suggesting SYNCOM was deliberately positioning across both chemical and biological approaches to chiral synthesis. No data exists to assess any post-2021 trajectory.

With only two concurrent projects and no post-2021 H2020 activity recorded, the trajectory is unclear — but both projects point toward pharmaceutical process chemistry (chiral synthesis by physical and enzymatic routes), suggesting a specialist niche rather than a broadening research agenda.

How they like to work

SYNCOM does not lead consortia — in both H2020 projects they joined as participant or third-party partner, which is the typical pattern for a small industrial company contributing practical synthesis expertise to academically-led training networks. Their 28 unique partners across 10 countries spread across just 2 projects indicates involvement in large, multi-institutional consortia (MSCA-ITN networks typically have 8–15 partners each), meaning they are comfortable operating within complex, multi-national research teams. Partnering with SYNCOM likely means gaining access to a specialist contract synthesis facility rather than a research leadership capacity.

SYNCOM has accumulated 28 unique consortium partners across 10 countries from just two projects, reflecting the large-consortium structure typical of MSCA training networks. Their network is predominantly European academic institutions and research-intensive companies, consistent with their role as an industry host in PhD training programmes.

What sets them apart

SYNCOM occupies a specific niche as a Groningen-based fine chemistry SME with hands-on expertise in chiral synthesis — both crystallisation-based and enzymatic — which are high-value capabilities in pharmaceutical and agrochemical manufacturing. Their repeated involvement in MSCA training networks as an industrial host signals that they are recognised by European academic chemistry groups as a credible industry partner, which is a meaningful form of peer validation for a small company. For a consortium builder, they bring industrial process reality to academic research, particularly in chiral molecule production and green chemistry routes.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CORE
  SYNCOM's only directly funded H2020 project (EUR 255,374), focused on continuous crystallisation-based chiral resolution — a technically demanding process chemistry challenge directly relevant to pharmaceutical API manufacturing.
• OXYTRAIN
  Participation as a third-party partner in an enzymatic oxygen activation network broadens SYNCOM's profile into biocatalysis, complementing their crystallisation expertise with a biological route to chiral transformations.