Imagine you run a small company and you know sensors or IoT could improve your product, but you have no idea where to start or who to call. GateOne built a service that works like a matchmaking platform between research labs sitting on ready smart-systems technology and SMEs that need it. They assembled a catalogue of technologies, paired them with interested companies, and built over 25 working demonstrators so businesses could test before committing. Think of it as a test-drive program for cutting-edge tech — low risk, practical results.
Most European SMEs know that smart technologies like IoT sensors could transform their products, but they cannot afford the risk or time of developing these capabilities in-house. Research labs have mature technologies sitting on shelves with no easy path to the companies that need them. The gap between a working lab prototype and a commercially viable product — often called the valley of death — kills promising innovations before they ever reach the market.
GateOne built an innovation-as-a-service platform connecting research labs with SMEs. Concretely, they delivered more than 25 working demonstrators across 50 small-scale projects, each pairing a smart-systems technology from a research partner with an interested SME for real-world testing and manufacturability validation.
If you are a small electronics company struggling to integrate smart sensors into your products — GateOne created a service that matched SMEs with research labs holding ready-to-use smart systems technology. They built over 25 demonstrators across 50 small-scale projects, letting companies evaluate IoT and sensor solutions with low risk before committing to full development.
If you are a mid-size manufacturer looking to add smart monitoring to your production line but lack in-house R&D capacity — GateOne's innovation service connected companies like yours with 12 partner organisations across 7 countries, providing access to a portfolio of smart systems technologies including sensors and IoT. They delivered tested demonstrators so you could evaluate solutions before investing.
If you are a small medtech company exploring bioelectronics for wearable health devices — GateOne dedicated 20% of its technology portfolio specifically to bioelectronics. Through their innovation-as-a-service model with 50 small-scale projects, they helped SMEs access research-grade bioelectronic technologies and evaluate them through working demonstrators.
The project data does not specify fees or pricing for the innovation service. GateOne was designed to offer low-risk evaluation conditions for SMEs, meaning the testing phase was structured to minimise upfront investment. Contact the coordinator for current terms and any continuation of the service.
GateOne explicitly addressed manufacturability — their process included validating the cost-efficient manufacturability of each solution. They progressed from lab concepts to demonstrators through 50 small-scale projects, with the goal of bridging the gap between research and market-ready products.
Based on available project data, IP arrangements are not detailed in the public objectives. Since the consortium included 6 research organisations and 2 industry partners, IP terms were likely negotiated per demonstrator between the research lab and the participating SME. Direct inquiry to the coordinator is recommended.
The portfolio covered smart systems broadly, including IoT and sensor technologies as indicated by the project's EuroSciVoc classification. Additionally, 20% of the portfolio was specifically dedicated to bioelectronics technologies. The catalogue was designed to be a Pan-European collection of state-of-the-art smart systems.
GateOne planned 50 small-scale projects and delivered more than 25 demonstrators ready for SME testing. Demonstrators were only produced when an SME expressed interest and committed to entering a testing phase, ensuring real business engagement behind each prototype.
The project closed in June 2018. The objective mentioned preparing sustainability with research organisations, industrials, and private investors. Based on available project data, it is unclear whether the service continued post-funding. The coordinator at CEA (France) would have current information.
The GateOne consortium of 12 partners across 7 countries (France, Germany, Spain, Finland, Ireland, UK, Switzerland) is heavily research-oriented, with 6 research organisations and 4 universities making up 83% of partners. Only 2 industry partners (including 2 SMEs) are in the mix, giving it a 17% industry ratio. This is typical for a technology-supply project — the research labs are the ones holding the technologies, while SMEs were the external customers rather than consortium members. The coordinator is CEA, France's major atomic and alternative energy research body, which gives the project strong institutional backing but means commercial exploitation depends on external companies adopting the outputs.
CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) in France — search for the GateOne project lead at CEA-Leti or CEA-Tech divisions, which handle smart systems and technology transfer.
Want to access smart systems technologies from the GateOne portfolio or connect with the research teams behind the 25+ demonstrators? SciTransfer can facilitate introductions and help you evaluate which solutions fit your product roadmap.
