What Holst Centre does

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D center established in 2005 as a Joint Innovation Initiative between imec (Belgium) and TNO (Netherlands), operating from High Tech Campus Eindhoven with a workforce of 260+ experts from more than 30 nationalities. The centre develops technologies across seven R&D domains: AI & Data, Automotive Technologies, Energy, Integrated Photonics, MedTech, New Manufacturing Technologies, and Wireless Technologies. Its technical portfolio includes solid-state LiDAR with optical phased-array beam steering, ultra-wideband (UWB) radar for centimetre-level positioning, Bluetooth Channel Sounding (now part of the Bluetooth 6.0 global standard), speckle sensing for contactless vital sign monitoring, photonic integrated circuits, dry-coating battery manufacturing that cuts costs by more than 20% and energy consumption by up to 47%, thin-film electrolyser components reducing iridium use by a factor of 200, foil-laminated stereolithography additive manufacturing at 10 µm feature sizes, and selective peripheral nerve stimulation neurotechnology. The centre has produced six spin-off companies including Axelera AI, eyeo, FononTech, LionVolt, and Keiron.

The organization operates a research-services-and-licensing business model rather than selling products directly to end users. Revenue streams include collaborative R&D programs with shared cost structures between imec, TNO, and industry partners; contracted research; licensing of patents and know-how; spin-off venture creation supported by imec.ventures and TNO Ventures; and significant EU and national government funding drawn from the EU Chips Act, the Dutch National Growth Fund, regional authorities, and philanthropic grants (including a USD 5 million Gates Foundation award). Pricing is bespoke and partnership-by-partnership, with multi-year contracts and no public pricing model; the centre handles 78 EU-funding submissions in 2025 and 73 active high-impact funded projects. Customer mix spans automotive OEMs, semiconductor and photonics companies, battery manufacturers, healthcare providers (Erasmus MC, Maasstad Ziekenhuis, Merck), start-ups, SMEs, and academic partners including TU/e, TU Delft, KU Leuven, and University of Twente.

Holst Centre reported €12 million in turnover for 2025 and directly contributes to 6 of 10 key technologies in the Dutch National Technology Strategy. Major 2025-2026 strategic initiatives include leading Europe's first open-access InP photonic chip production line under the EU Chips Act-funded PIXEurope consortium (targeting 10,000 wafers/year, operational 2028), launching the Open Battery Industrialisation Centre with €13.45 million in combined public funding, and opening a new Photonics Lab on High Tech Campus Eindhoven. The centre is governed jointly by imec and TNO with staff employed through those parent organizations rather than as direct Holst Centre employees.

Name

Holst Centre

Legal name

Holst Centre

Website

https://holstcentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Holst Centre is a joint innovation initiative between imec and TNO, operating an open-innovation R&D hub in Eindhoven with 260+ experts developing technologies across integrated photonics, wireless systems, sensors, batteries, electrolysers, and MedTech for automotive, healthcare, energy, and semiconductor partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Research and Development Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441), Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Voltage, Power Discretes & Modules (IGBT/MOSFET/SiC/GaN) (HDAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Applied research and development
• Integrated photonics
• Wireless sensor technologies
• Medical technology innovation
• Battery technology development

Headquarters

HQ city

Eindhoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Collaborative R&D Programs: Holst Centre generates revenue through shared R&D programs with industry partners, where companies collaborate on technology development and share costs and complexity. Partners range from SMEs and start-ups to major multinationals.
2. Contracted Research: Dedicated collaborative projects and contracted work for specific technology development, funded by industry partners seeking specific innovations.
3. Licensing and IP: Revenue generated through licensing agreements for technologies developed at Holst Centre, including patents and proprietary know-how.
4. Spin-off Ventures: Economic impact through creation of spin-off companies like Axelera AI, eyeo, FononTech, and LionVolt, with Holst Centre and its parent organizations benefiting through imec.ventures and TNO Ventures.
5. EU and National Funding: Significant funding from EU Chips Act, National Growth Fund, and other government programs supporting critical technology development initiatives like PIXEurope and OBIC.
6. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: USD 5 million grant from Gates Foundation for advancing photonic-based speckle sensing for vital sign monitoring in lower- and middle-income countries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Holst Centre is a Joint Innovation Initiative between imec and TNO that develops applied technologies across integrated photonics, wireless sensor systems, MedTech, energy storage, automotive electronics, and advanced manufacturing. It delivers these through shared R&D programs with industry partners, technology licensing, spin-off creation, and specialized facilities such as the Photonics Lab. Its offerings are organized around seven R&D domains: AI & Data, Automotive, Energy, Integrated Photonics, MedTech, New Manufacturing Technologies, and Wireless Technologies.

Product overview

Holst Centre operates as a joint innovation initiative between imec and TNO, offering a broad portfolio of technology platforms and services organized across seven R&D domains: AI & Data, Automotive Technologies, Energy, Integrated Photonics, MedTech, New Manufacturing Technologies, and Wireless Technologies. The portfolio includes Edge AI and AI & Data algorithms as the core AI/data intelligence layer; LiDAR for Automotive, Speckle Sensing, and UWB Radar as sensing solutions; Optical Wireless Communication and Biosensors for photonics applications; Organ-on-Chip, 3D Pharma Printing, Artificial Kidney, Bioprocessing, Wearable Ultrasound, Smart Wound Care, Neuromodulation, and Intranet of Neurons for MedTech; Next-generation Battery Technology and High-tech Electrolysis for energy; and 3D Printed Microelectronics and LIFT for manufacturing. Services include the Photonics Lab for PIC testing. Spin-offs including Axelera AI, eyeo, FononTech, and LionVolt commercialize specific technology lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open R&D Partnership Programs Collaborative R&D programs where industry partners share costs and complexity of technology development with imec and TNO experts, covering areas such as photonics, MedTech, batteries, automotive electronics, wireless systems and AI.
• Photonics Lab Testing Services Specialized PIC testing services for start-ups, SMEs and research groups developing photonic devices, providing optical, electrical and functional measurements with comprehensive measurement reports and feasibility assessments.
• Technology Licensing and IP Agreements Licensing of patents and proprietary know-how developed at Holst Centre to companies seeking to commercialize specific innovations, including Bluetooth Channel Sounding, f-SLA 3D printing, LIFT micro-transfer and Speckle Sensing.
• PIXEurope Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) Foundry Services Shared foundry model for InP photonic chip fabrication at the Eindhoven pilot line managed by TNO at Holst Centre; companies submit designs built to PDK specifications and share wafer runs.
• Open Battery Industrialisation Centre (OBIC) National battery test and scale-up facility enabling companies to test and validate battery technologies towards industrial production, including novel battery materials, components and technologies.
• Speckle Sensing Vital Sign Monitoring Platform Contactless health monitoring platform using coherent laser light and speckle pattern analysis to measure heart rate, respiration rate, heart-rate variability and blood pressure for automotive and healthcare applications.
• DUST (Dynamic UltraSound Tomography) Knee Imaging Novel knee imaging technology combining sub-millimeter resolution with real-time motion capture, developed collaboratively with Tomosono BV for musculoskeletal diagnostics.
• 3D Pharma Printing Platform 3D printing equipment and processes for personalized medicine using semi-solid extrusion, selective laser sintering, binder jetting and filament-based printing to produce tailored dosage forms on demand at the point of care.
• Spin-off Ventures (Axelera AI, eyeo, FononTech, LionVolt, Keiron) Independent companies commercializing specific Holst Centre technology lines including AI chips (Axelera AI), continuous vital sign monitoring (eyeo), impulse printing for semiconductor packaging (FononTech), solid-state batteries (LionVolt) and advanced manufacturing (Keiron).

Quantifiable outcome

• Dry coating technology cuts battery manufacturing costs by more than 20% and energy consumption by up to 47%
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature22 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and minor.

• Tomosono BVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026Collaboration on Dynamic UltraSound Tomography (DUST) project for knee imaging, awarded PPP subsidy by Health~Holland within Trinitas DX consortium.
• PIXEurope ConsortiumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Pan-European initiative funded by EU Chips Act through Chips Joint Undertaking. 11 European countries, 20 partnering organisations developing different parts of PIC supply chain. Eindhoven pilot line managed by TNO at Holst Centre.
• VDL ETScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in establishing OBIC (Open Battery Industrialisation Centre), the first Dutch facility for testing and scaling battery technologies towards industrial production.
• Brainport EindhovencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Strategic ecosystem partner contributing to OBIC initiative and broader high-tech innovation ecosystem at High Tech Campus Eindhoven.
• Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Regional development company contributing to OBIC initiative and battery ecosystem development in North Brabant.
• National Technology Strategy (NTS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Holst Centre directly contributes to 6 of 10 key technologies in Dutch National Technology Strategy, involved in €14 billion innovation programs.
• Key Enabling Technologies Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA ST)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026TNO and imec directly and indirectly involved in several priority areas including Energy Materials, AI & Data, and Optical Systems & Integrated Photonics.
• Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Two-year cross-border collaboration to accelerate next-generation electrolysis technologies for green hydrogen production, backed by €3.5 million combined funding.
• ProDrivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Collaboration on autonomous factory navigation using neuromorphic sensing with Gen2 Edge AI chip deployed on ProDrive's AGVs for fully autonomous factory floor navigation.
• IEEEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Research presented at IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications showcasing UWB technology advances for in-cabin sensing and high-speed data transmission.
• MerckmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with imec Belgium on Organ-on-Chip technology development, working together with Merck to advance microphysiological systems platform.
• PhotonDeltacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Active participation in PhotonDelta ecosystem and National Growth Fund program supporting PIC biosensor development and integrated photonics research.
• Photonics Integration Technology Center (PITC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Active participation in PITC sharing knowledge and accelerating industry adoption of integrated photonics technologies.
• Bio/MicroSystems Centre (B/MSC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint Innovation Centre created by TNO and University of Twente for OoC and bio/microsystem technologies, providing translational preclinical modeling platforms.
• MARAS B.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with TNO and MARAS demonstrating that in-mold electronics can be repaired instead of discarded, supporting circular economy and EU Right to Repair.
• Eindhoven University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025World-leading university partner collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and development.
• Delft University of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025World-leading university partner collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and development.
• KU LeuvencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025World-leading university partner collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and development.
• University of TwentecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025World-leading university partner collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and development, co-founder of Bio/MicroSystems Centre.
• NXTGEN Hightech BioMedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Participation in NXTGEN Hightech BioMed 02 Lab-on-Chip project for bio/microsystem technology development.
• PhotonMedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025European project consortium for integrated photonics in medical and healthcare applications.
• Erasmus MCmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Joint collaborative initiative to develop specialized 3D Pharma Printer for personalized medicine, successfully installed at Maasstad Ziekenhuis for patient testing.
• imeccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding partner of Holst Centre Joint Innovation Initiative. Imec contributes global leadership in chip technology and nanoelectronics expertise. Together with TNO, imec established Holst Centre to bridge research and market application.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Founding partner of Holst Centre Joint Innovation Initiative. TNO contributes deep connectivity across Dutch high-tech industry and expertise in applied sciences. Together with imec, TNO established Holst Centre to bridge research and market application.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch parent of Holst Centre and one of Europe's largest applied research organisations, with deep ties to Dutch industry, academia, and government. Highly comparable in multi-domain applied research and EU/national funding access, but significantly broader in scope and headcount.
• imec: Belgian parent and the world's largest independent semiconductor and nanoelectronics R&D centre, with which Holst Centre is jointly operated. Highly comparable in operating model (open-innovation R&D, EU funding access, spin-off pipeline via imec.ventures) but materially larger in scale, headcount, and infrastructure.

Direct peers

• CSEM: Swiss R&D centre specialising in microelectronics, photonics, MedTech, and energy with an open-innovation model close to Holst's. Particularly comparable in integrated photonics, ultra-low-power electronics, and healthcare wearables.
• CEA-Leti: French R&D institute focused on semiconductors, photonics, MEMS, and healthcare technologies with a similar open-innovation model serving industry partners and EU programs. Closely comparable in chip technology, photonics, and MedTech programs, making it a natural counterpart to Holst Centre's integrated photonics and MedTech domains.
• PARC (a Xerox company): US-based open-innovation R&D centre historically known for breakthrough technology development and spin-off creation. Operates a comparable contract-research, IP licensing, and venture model across electronics, photonics, and energy domains.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's leading applied research organisation with 75+ institutes covering photonics, semiconductor, MedTech, energy, and manufacturing — directly comparable to Holst Centre's multi-domain R&D model. Both organisations monetise via contract research, public funding, IP licensing, and spin-offs.
• Tyndall National Institute: Ireland's deep-tech R&D centre focused on semiconductors, photonics, and MedTech devices, with EU and industry funding analogous to Holst Centre's mix. Closely comparable in integrated photonics, semiconductor process development, and MedTech translation.
• A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research): Singapore's public-sector R&D body covering microelectronics, photonics, MedTech, and advanced manufacturing. Comparable in scale, multi-domain portfolio, and government-backed funding and spin-off incubation model.
• ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute): Taiwan's largest applied research organisation, working on semiconductors, photonics, biomedical, and smart manufacturing with deep industry partnerships. Comparable in the spin-off creation model and integrated photonics / semiconductor R&D focus.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's national R&D centre with a similar applied-research mandate across photonics, microelectronics, energy, and health. Highly comparable in size, multi-domain structure, and dependence on EU and national funding programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holst-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Holst Centre