TE-OX

Their core work

TE-OX is a French deep-tech SME based in Orsay — a town at the heart of the Paris-Saclay scientific cluster — specializing in advanced nanomaterials for photonics and energy applications. Their work spans two distinct but complementary tracks: engineering phase-change plasmonic materials for ultra-fast, ultra-low-energy optical switching, and developing smart nanomaterials (including 2D materials like MoS2 and hafnium zirconium oxide) for energy harvesting in IoT devices. As a private company embedded in one of Europe's densest research ecosystems, they bridge fundamental materials science and applied technology development at the nanoscale. Their participation in FET (Future and Emerging Technologies) projects signals involvement at the pre-commercial frontier, where new material classes are being proven out rather than scaled.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both of TE-OX's H2020 projects started in 2020, so the early/recent keyword split reflects two simultaneous research tracks rather than a sequential evolution. Their earlier-coded focus — phase-change materials and plasmonics — sits firmly in fundamental photonics. Their second track pivots toward applied energy and IoT, incorporating a broader material palette (hafnium zirconium oxide, nanocellulose) and real-world application contexts like connected health. Taken together, the picture is of a company running parallel bets: one in ultra-fast photonics, one in energy-autonomous sensing — both rooted in nanomaterial engineering but aimed at different markets.

TE-OX appears to be expanding from pure photonics toward energy-harvesting applications for IoT and connected health, which suggests growing interest in the intersection of smart materials and autonomous sensing systems.

How they like to work

TE-OX has never led an H2020 project — both participations are as a consortium partner, consistent with a specialist SME that contributes specific materials know-how rather than project management. Across just two projects they built a network of 16 unique partners in 7 countries, which is broad for such a small portfolio and suggests they are valued as a specialist node rather than a passive participant. Working with them likely means engaging a focused technical contributor rather than a consortium organizer.

TE-OX has collaborated with 16 distinct partners across 7 countries through two FET Research and Innovation Actions, indicating genuine multi-partner engagement despite a compact project history. No geographic concentration is apparent from the available data.

What sets them apart

TE-OX occupies a rare position as a private SME operating at the FET frontier — a space usually dominated by universities and research institutes — which implies either a spin-off origin from Paris-Saclay or deep ties to that ecosystem. Their dual competence in optical switching materials and energy-harvesting nanomaterials makes them unusual: most nanomaterial specialists stay in one application domain, whereas TE-OX can speak to both photonics and energy consortia. For a consortium builder, they offer private-sector agility combined with research-grade depth in materials that are not yet commercially widespread.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NANO-EH
  The largest-funded project (€437,500) and the broader in scope, connecting nanomaterials science to IoT energy autonomy and connected health — a commercially relevant trajectory for industrial partners.
• PHEMTRONICS
  Addresses femtojoule-scale optical switching using phase-change plasmonic systems, a technically distinct and high-difficulty area with long-term relevance to photonic computing and ultra-low-power data interconnects.