i3N

What i3N does

i3N (Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication) is a Portuguese non-profit research institute established in 2006 as an Associate Laboratory by the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education. It operates as a partnership between two host research units: CENIMAT (Materials Research Center) at NOVA University Lisbon (Caparica headquarters) and FSCOSD (Physics of Semiconductors, Optoelectronics, and Disordered Systems) at the University of Aveiro, with an additional laboratory at Madeira University (QSALab for optical fiber food safety sensors). The institute conducts fundamental and applied research in nanoscience, advanced materials, sustainable micro/nanofabrication, photovoltaics, transparent electronics, and paper electronics, organized across six specialized research groups. Core physical assets include a 1,000 m² clean room, seven laser processing systems (LFZ, PLAL, CO2, UV pulsed, picosend UV), Bruker 300 MHz solid-state NMR, Kratos XPS/UPS surface analysis, and high-performance computing (ARGUS and BLAFIS clusters). The institute runs 7 national and 2 international Master programmes plus 7 doctoral programmes, having produced 463 MSc and 60 PhD graduates (including 25 international double degrees) and 1010+ students through the Ciência Viva outreach program.

i3N's revenue model is anchored in competitive public research funding rather than commercial product sales. Documented inflows include FCT national base funding (UID/50025/2025), PRR recovery plan grants totaling €1,422,841.09 for 2025-2026, 11 European Research Council (ERC) grants (Advanced, Consolidator, Synergy, and Proof of Concept), Horizon Europe project participation (ELEGANCE, SPARCS), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (FERNS), industry contracts, and technology transfer through patents and spin-offs. The institute serves four primary segments: academic researchers (facility access, collaborative research), industry partners (applied R&D, technology transfer), graduate students (training), and public policy makers (evidence-based advice). Pioneering research outputs include the paper transistor (Professor Elvira Fortunato), transparent oxide electronics, fully printed 2D-material resistive switching devices, and tandem electrochromic-memristor processing-in-memory architectures, the latter two recognized by the European Commission's Innovation Radar.

Strategic positioning is led by Director/Coordinator Professor Rodrigo Martins (President of the European Academy of Sciences, 2025 China Government Friendship Award recipient) and Vice-Coordinator Professor Elvira Fortunato (former Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, 2022-2024). The institute is actively expanding its international footprint (China, EU MSCA networks) and pursuing a national advanced-materials agenda in coordination with CICECO, INL, and CeNTI. As a public non-profit, i3N has no parent company, no stock listing, and operates under FCT oversight with governance by a Management Board.

Name

i3N

Legal name

i3N - Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication

Website

https://i3n.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

i3N is a Portuguese non-profit research institute (Associate Laboratory) founded in 2006, conducting nanoscience, advanced materials, and nanofabrication research across NOVA University Lisbon and University of Aveiro, serving academic researchers, industry partners, and graduate students via EU and national grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nanotechnology Research

NAICS

Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Additive Manufacturing Research & Innovation Labs (IMAAAJAA)

Keywords

• Nanotechnology research
• Nanoscience institute
• Thin film fabrication
• Clean room facilities
• Advanced materials research

Headquarters

HQ city

Caparica

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. FCT National Funding: Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology provides base funding through UID/50025/2025 and related grants. Includes PRR (Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência) funding for strategic activities 2025-2029.
2. European Commission Projects: Funding from Horizon Europe, ERC grants, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and other EU programs. i3N has achieved 11 ERC grants.
3. Industry Contracts: Direct contracts with industry for applied research, technology transfer, and consulting services.
4. Technology Transfer: Revenue from patents, licensing, and spin-off companies created from research outcomes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

i3N (Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication) is a Portuguese Associate Laboratory that conducts fundamental and applied research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The institute provides access to advanced research infrastructure including a 1,000 m² clean room, characterization laboratories, and high-performance computing clusters, while delivering graduate education programs (7 masters and 7 doctoral programmes) and executing technology-transfer and collaborative R&D projects for industry partners.

Product overview

i3N (Institute for Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication) is a Portuguese research institute established in 2006 as an Associate Laboratory. It operates as a partnership between CENIMAT (Materials Research Center at Nova University of Lisbon) and FSCOSD (hosted by University of Aveiro). Rather than a commercial product company, i3N provides research infrastructure access, advanced training programs, and collaborative research services across six specialized research groups focused on Sustainable Micro and Nanofabrication, Green and Clean Energy Systems, Nanomaterials Engineering and Functional Interfaces, and Biomedical devices and systems. The institute is known for pioneering work in photovoltaics, thin-film microelectronics, paper electronics, and transparent (oxide) electronics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Infrastructure and Facilities Access i3N provides access to world-class research infrastructure including a 1,000 m² clean room, thin-film deposition systems, laser processing laboratories, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometers, XPS/UPS surface analysis equipment, and high-performance computing clusters (ARGUS and BLAFIS), serving academic and industry researchers engaged in micro/nanofabrication and device characterization.
• Advanced Training Programs i3N delivers advanced graduate education through 7 National and 2 International Master programmes and 7 doctoral programmes covering Physics, Materials, Microelectronics, Nanotechnology, Recycling, and Nanomedicine. Programs include international double degrees and have produced 463 MSc and 60 PhD graduates.
• Collaborative Research Services i3N conducts interdisciplinary collaborative research across six specialized groups covering Sustainable Micro and Nanofabrication, Green and Clean Energy Systems, Nanomaterials Engineering and Functional Interfaces, and Biomedical Devices and Systems. Research services include contract research, applied R&D, and joint European projects (ERC, Horizon Europe, MSCA).

Quantifiable outcome

• 463 MSc & 60 PhD graduates produced, including 25 with international double degrees
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered key, emerging and core.

• CICECO (Aveiro Institute of Materials)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2026Joint initiative with Professor João Rocha from CICECO advocating for national strategic focus on advanced materials. Working meeting at University of Aveiro to discuss creation of National Advanced Materials Network as part of AI² funding agency strategy.
• Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT)emergingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2026High-level delegation visit on July 9, 2026 to explore future avenues of international cooperation, joint research partnerships, and academic exchange. BUCT manages robust research funding of over 174 million euros in 2025 and has partnerships spanning over 180 institutions worldwide.
• NOVA University Lisbon (FCT NOVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006i3N is a partnership between two research units. NOVA University Lisbon hosts CENIMAT (Materials Research Center), which is one of the two founding research units of i3N Associate Laboratory.
• University of AveirocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006i3N is a partnership between two research units. University of Aveiro hosts FSCOSD (Physics of Semiconductors, Optoelectronics, and Disordered Systems), which is one of the two founding research units of i3N Associate Laboratory.
• INL (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the alliance of leading Portuguese research institutions advocating for advanced materials as a core strategic domain within AI² funding agency.
• CeNTI (Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the alliance of leading Portuguese research institutions advocating for advanced materials as a core strategic domain within AI² funding agency.
• European Commission (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELEGANCE project funded by Horizon Europe. Project received multiple Innovation Radar recognitions for breakthroughs in advanced electronics, including fully printed 2D-material devices and smart computing with electrochromic pixels integrated with memristors.
• FERNS MSCA Doctoral NetworkkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research initiative coordinated by Tyndall National Institute aimed at reshaping electronic device design, manufacturing, and reuse. NOVA FCT is associate partner with 2 PhD positions at i3N. Network brings together 20 universities, research institutes, and industrial partners from eight countries.
• FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a TecnologiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology is the main national funding body. i3N receives funding through UID/50025/2025, UID/PRR/50025/2025, UID/PRR2/50025/2025 and Associate Laboratory designation LA/P/0037/2020.
• ERC (European Research Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partneri3N has achieved 11 ERC grants - a significant achievement placing it as leading research institute in Portugal in Materials Science and Nanotechnologies. ERC grants include Advanced Grants, Consolidator Grants, Synergy Grants, and Proof of Concept grants.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• MIT.nano: MIT.nano is a US-based nanotechnology research facility covering nano-fabrication, materials characterization, and devices. It overlaps with i3N's nanofabrication and clean-room capabilities but is a newer, US-anchored facility with different funding dynamics.
• Cambridge Graphene Centre: The Cambridge Graphene Centre is a UK university research hub focused on graphene, 2D materials, and sustainable electronics — overlapping with i3N's printed 2D-material and transparent-electronics research themes but operating from a single university base.

Broad incumbents

• CEA-Leti: CEA-Leti is France's national micro/nanotechnologies R&D lab with deep EU and industry ties across semiconductors, MEMS, and printable electronics — a much larger incumbent counterpart to i3N in the European nanoelectronics landscape.
• IMEC: IMEC is the global leader in semiconductor and nanoelectronics R&D, with a much larger budget, partner network, and industry footprint. Comparable research areas (thin-film devices, advanced materials, nano-fabrication) but operates as a much broader incumbent rather than a specialist lab.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS): Fraunhofer IPMS is part of Germany's applied research network covering micro/nanoelectronics, sensors, and materials — a comparable applied R&D model with industry technology-transfer outcomes, operating at substantially larger scale than i3N.

Direct peers

• International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL): INL is a joint Spain-Portugal intergovernmental nanotechnology research lab operating across nanoscience, micro/nanofabrication, and advanced materials — the closest Iberian peer to i3N in scope, geography, and customer base (industry + academia + EU projects). i3N and INL already partner in the AI² advanced-materials alliance.
• Tyndall National Institute: Tyndall is Ireland's national ICT and micro/nanoelectronics research institute with a comparable mix of ERC/MSCA grants, clean-room facilities, industry contracts, and graduate training — coordinating the FERNS MSCA network in which i3N participates.
• CeNTI – Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials: CeNTI is a Portuguese applied nanotechnology R&D centre focused on smart materials and industry transfer. It is a direct peer in the Portuguese nano-materials ecosystem and a partner in the AI² advanced-materials alliance with i3N.
• CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials: CICECO is a University of Aveiro-hosted materials research institute (one of i3N's co-host campuses). It is a direct peer in advanced materials R&D, and i3N jointly co-authored its strategic advocacy for the AI² funding agency.

Others

• IT – Institute of Telecommunications (Portugal): IT is a Portuguese Associate Laboratory covering telecommunications, electronics, and multimedia. It is not a direct R&D competitor but is an adjacent national peer institution that competes for FCT funding and ERC/Horizon projects in overlapping ICT-electronics domains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i3n

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about i3N