IMDEA Materials
IMDEA Materials Institute is a non-profit public research organization in Madrid, Spain, employing 120+ researchers to advance materials science for transport, energy, and healthcare, funded by the Madrid regional government, EU grants, and industrial R&D contracts with Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens Gamesa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What IMDEA Materials does
IMDEA Materials Institute (Fundación IMDEA Materiales) is a non-profit public research organization founded in 2007 and headquartered at the Tecnogetafe scientific and technological park in Getafe, Madrid. It operates as one of eight institutes in the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA) network established by the Madrid Regional Government, and employs more than 120 researchers from over 22 nationalities across approximately 9,000 m² of laboratory facilities dedicated to materials design, processing, characterization, modeling, and simulation for transport, energy, and healthcare applications.
The institute's core capabilities span integrated computational materials engineering, advanced manufacturing (including additive manufacturing of metals, composites, and soft magnetics), multiscale characterization, and catalysis. Its technology portfolio includes woven Nitinol architectures for additive manufacturing, AI-powered surrogate models for real-time composite molding simulation, novel laser path techniques for high-entropy alloy 3D printing, elastic strain engineering for catalytic hydrogen production, and the Reac-Discovery semi-autonomous platform for catalytic reactor optimization. Research is operationalized through peer-reviewed publications (over 4,000 articles and 70,000+ citations on Scopus in 2025), 15 active EU projects (5 coordinated), multiple ERC grants, and 28 active PhD theses.
The institute's business model is anchored in public funding: core institutional support from the Comunidad de Madrid and national agencies (MICINN), competitive EU grants (Horizon Europe, ERC, Marie Skłodowska-Curie), and direct R&D contracts with industrial partners including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Siemens Gamesa, and Grupo Antolin. Technology transfer occurs through a dedicated Projects & Technology Department, internal Proof-of-Concept funding calls (2025, 2026), and spin-off commercialization — most notably Floatech, a silicon anode battery company that received a €2.5M EIC Accelerator grant in 2026 and opened manufacturing capacity in 2025 with a megafactory planned for 2029.
IMDEA Materials firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IMDEA Materials
- Legal name
- FUNDACIÓN IMDEA MATERIALES
- Website
- https://materials.imdea.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- IMDEA Materials Institute is a non-profit public research organization in Madrid, Spain, employing 120+ researchers to advance materials science for transport, energy, and healthcare, funded by the Madrid regional government, EU grants, and industrial R&D contracts with Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens Gamesa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IMDEA Materials industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Materials Science Research Services
- NAICS
- Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Engineering Services (54133), Engineering Services (541330)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Additive Manufacturing Research & Innovation Labs (IMAAAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Consulting, Advisory & Technology Transfer (AM Adoption) (IMAAAJAK), Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)
Keywords
Where IMDEA Materials is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madrid
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
IMDEA Materials business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Public Research Funding: Core funding from Madrid regional government and national government through MICINN, supporting institutional research programs and infrastructure
- EU Research Grants: Funding from European Union programs including Horizon Europe, ERC grants, and European Regional Development Fund
- Industrial R&D Contracts: Direct R&D contracts with companies for applied research, testing, and technology development services
- Spin-off Equity: Technology transfer through spin-off companies like Floatech, which has raised separate funding
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
IMDEA Materials product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IMDEA Materials Institute is a non-profit public research organization that conducts fundamental and applied research in materials science and engineering, with a focus on design, processing, characterization, modelling and simulation of advanced materials for transport and energy applications. It delivers contracted R&D services to industrial partners, coordinates EU-funded research projects, trains PhD and postdoctoral researchers, and transfers technology to industry through licensing and spin-off companies such as Floatech.
Product overview
IMDEA Materials Institute is a non-profit research organization focused on materials science and engineering research, not a commercial product company. The institute conducts research across advanced materials, integrated computational materials engineering, advanced manufacturing, and multiscale characterization. It offers technology transfer services to industry and trains researchers through PhD programs and postdoctoral positions. The institute has produced spin-off companies including Floatech (silicon anode battery technology).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Contracted Industrial R&D Services Direct R&D contracts with companies for applied research, materials testing, characterization, and technology development in transport, energy, and manufacturing sectors.
- EU Collaborative Research Projects Participation and coordination of EU-funded collaborative research projects such as AM2SoftMag (Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder Open 2021) and the EU SORCERER project on structural supercapacitors and batteries for aircraft.
- Technology Transfer and Spin-off Creation Licensing of proprietary materials technologies and creation of spin-off companies such as Floatech for silicon anode battery manufacturing; selected for a €2.5 million European Innovation Council Accelerator grant.
- PhD and Postdoctoral Training Programs Doctoral training program with 28 active PhD theses and 8 Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellows; predoctoral and postdoctoral research positions across materials science groups.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 4000 articles published in 2025 with over 70000 citations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use IMDEA Materials
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
IMDEA Materials technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
IMDEA Materials partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FloatechcoreFloatech is a Madrid-based silicon anode battery technology start-up and spin-off from IMDEA Materials Institute. Selected for €2.5 million European Innovation Council Accelerator grant with potential access to up to €10 million further investment. Opened first silicon anode manufacturing facility in 2025; plans advanced manufacturing megafactory in 2029 for electronics and EV gigafactory markets.
- Universität des SaarlandescoreAM2SoftMag project coordinator for additive manufacturing of amorphous metals for soft magnetics under Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder Open 2021 (01/03/2022 - 28/02/2026)
- INRIMcoreAM2SoftMag project partner - National Institute of Metrological Research, Italy
- Amloy (Heraeus)coreAM2SoftMag project partner - metallic glass technology company
- AmazemetcoreAM2SoftMag project partner - metal powder manufacturing
- TU BerlincoreAM2SoftMag project partner - technical university research collaboration
- Technical University of Madrid (UPM)coreResearch collaboration on woven Nitinol architectures for additive manufacturing, published in Virtual and Physical Prototyping journal
- EU SORCERER Project ConsortiumcoreEU-funded project developing structural supercapacitors and batteries for aircraft energy storage, achieving energy densities of 1.4 Wh/kg and power densities of 1.1 kW/kg
- Siemens Gamesa Renewable EnergycoreAlumni placement and ongoing collaboration - Eva Moreno serves as Head of Materials Laboratory at Siemens Gamesa
- Siemens Wind PowercoreFormer collaboration - Eva Moreno worked as metallurgist in materials laboratory before transition to Siemens Gamesa
- University of OxfordcoreOngoing research collaboration with Dr. Olben Falcó on Rolls-Royce UltraFan turbofan demonstrator project; multiple alumni placements
- Rolls-RoycecoreCollaboration on next-generation UltraFan turbofan demonstrator; impact engineering research with Oxford team
- Industrial Advisory BoardcoreIndustry advisory body guiding institute research priorities and technology transfer
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (IMDEA) NetworkcorePart of IMDEA network of 8 institutes (Water, Food, Energy, Materials, Nanoscience, Networks, Software, Social Sciences) fostering regional innovation
- Scientific PartnershipscoreActive scientific partnerships with national and international research institutions for collaborative projects
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
IMDEA Materials competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied research organization with 76 institutes conducting contract R&D for industry across materials, manufacturing, energy and transport. Closest peer to IMDEA given its hybrid public/non-profit funding model, EU grant participation, industrial collaborations and technology transfer focus.
- Max Planck Society: Germany's flagship basic-research organization with 86 Max Planck Institutes covering physics, materials science, and chemistry. Shares with IMDEA the non-profit foundation structure, ERC grant track record, international talent pool and high-impact publication output (hundreds of thousands of citations).
- SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research institute conducting contract R&D in materials technology, applied physics, and energy. Direct peer due to hybrid public funding/contract research model, EU project participation, and partnerships with European industrial majors in energy, transport, and manufacturing.
- National Physical Laboratory (NPL): UK's national metrology institute operating applied research in materials characterization, advanced manufacturing, and industrial measurement. Comparable to IMDEA for materials testing/characterization services, public funding model, and industrial R&D contracts.
Regional players
- Spanish National Research Council (CSIC): Spain's largest public research institution, operating numerous materials and engineering institutes nationwide. Comparable to IMDEA in national funding model, PhD/postdoc training programs, and advisory role to Spanish industry, but broader and less specialized on transport/energy materials.
- ICN2 (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology): CERCA Centre in Barcelona conducting research in nanoscience, nanostructured materials, and energy applications. Regional peer to IMDEA within the Spanish research ecosystem, comparable in size, non-profit status and competitive EU grant funding focus.
Broad incumbents
- CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission): French government-funded technological research organization with divisions covering materials science, hydrogen, batteries and additive manufacturing. Comparable to IMDEA through public-sector R&D funding, deep ERC/EU participation, and major industrial collaborations in energy and transport.
Emerging players
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): German research university with a large materials science and additive manufacturing program. Comparable to IMDEA for AM/laser-based materials processing R&D, EU project coordination, and ERC-funded groups working on hydrogen catalysts and energy materials.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IMDEA Materials social profiles
Digital presenceIMDEA Materials financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IMDEA Materials leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
IMDEA Materials subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
IMDEA Materials funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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IMDEA Materials M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IMDEA Materials
What does IMDEA Materials do?
IMDEA Materials Institute is a non-profit public research organization that conducts fundamental and applied research in materials science and engineering, with a focus on design, processing, characterization, modelling and simulation of advanced materials for transport and energy applications. It delivers contracted R&D services to industrial partners, coordinates EU-funded research projects, trains PhD and postdoctoral researchers, and transfers technology to industry through licensing and spin-off companies such as Floatech.
Is IMDEA Materials a public or private company?
IMDEA Materials is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was IMDEA Materials founded?
IMDEA Materials was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is IMDEA Materials based?
IMDEA Materials is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does IMDEA Materials make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Public Research Funding is the primary driver. The others are EU Research Grants, industrial R&D Contracts and spin-off Equity.
Who are IMDEA Materials's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fraunhofer Society, Max Planck Society, SINTEF and National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Regional players are Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and ICN2 (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology). CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) is listed as a broad incumbent. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is listed as an emerging player.
Does IMDEA Materials have an API?
No public API is recorded for IMDEA Materials.
What industry is IMDEA Materials in?
IMDEA Materials's product category is Materials Science Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAAJAA, Additive Manufacturing Research & Innovation Labs, with a secondary code of IMAAAJAK, Consulting, Advisory & Technology Transfer (AM Adoption). Its NAICS code is 54138 and its SIC code is 8731.