CLOSER Partner Introduction

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Partner	Introduction
ASSOCIAZIONE FABBRICA INTELLIGENTE LOMBARDIA (AFIL)	AFIL is the regional technology Cluster on Advanced Manufacturing. AFIL is the reference actor for the Lombardy Region in the identification of needs, challenges and priorities aimed at supporting the growth and competitiveness of the regional ecosystem with reference to the priority areas identified in the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3). AFIL promotes R&I in the manufacturing sector, allowing the sharing of best practices and the adoption of advanced technologies, to increase the leadership and competitiveness of the Lombardy production system. It also allows the positioning of Lombardy in several EU and international networks and partnerships.
ATLANT 3D NANOSYSTEMS APS	ATLANT 3D is a deep-tech company enabling AI-driven advanced materials innovation and atomic-scale manufacturing. The company has built an atomic-scale manufacturing platform, providing precise, programmable control of matter atom by atom® to turn digital materials design into physical reality. ATLANT 3D defines a new category for Physical AI for Matter with its platform technology and infrastructure.
CALABRIA REGIONE	Calabria is a Low-income region in Southern Italy; the presence of activities with a higher technological content is limited, less than 1% of the total number of employed people in 2018 (2% in the South and 3.5% in Italy). Despite a positive experience with the S3 strategy in 2014-2020, there’s a need for more efficient solutions. As a “following partner” in the new project, Calabria aims to enhance its role in value chains by handling collecting and sorting processes. The region’s membership in the M-ERA network aligns with this goal, providing collaborative opportunities and support in material science and engineering, potentially driving technological growth and economic upliftment.
Closing the Loop BV	Closing the Loop helps tech users and sellers across the globe to take a first step towards sustainable consumption. The company offers a pragmatic, positive, and value-driven service called waste compensation. The result of this service is that Closing the Loop has become a WBCSD-funded electronics sector DPP data mapping expert at collecting e-waste from the informal sectors of developing countries. Closing the Loop has 12 years of experience in collaborating with and empowering the informal sector in collecting e-waste in a sustainable manner (environmentally, socially and financially). CTL will increase the scope of electronic waste collections in this project. The company will focus on the collection of e-waste that are currently not collected properly, and especially not being recycled in an environmentally sound manner. Their expertise will be used to ensure a good supply of raw materials from Africa in the form of e-waste. This would be a supply source that would otherwise be untapped or would end up in markets that compete with the EU (most notably China).
CLUST-ER MECCATRONICA E MOTORISTICA	Clust-ER MECH is the Emilia-Romagna (Italy) industrial cluster that brings together companies, research centers, and training institutions to foster the growth of the mechatronics and automotive sectors. Operating through specialized value chains, it supports the regional transition towards advanced manufacturing, smart mobility, and sustainable industrial systems. In the CLOSER project, Clust-ER MECH leverages its extensive ecosystem to lead WP8 communication activities, project outreach, and business model development. We work alongside two of our members, Selcom and Due2Lab, contributing to the European strategic autonomy and circular economy in semiconductor production.
CRITICAL	CRITICAL (‘CRIT’) was founded in 2015 and is officially supported by the municipality of Amsterdam, Shell and Rockstart, from an accelerator programme called LeapSprong. It is one of seven EU startups selected for this programme, and it is supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, a government agency, which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
DOCKWEILER CHEMICALS GMBH	Dock-Chemicals is a dedicated manufacturer of highest purity chemicals for high-tech industries. We develop, design, manufacture, and globally distribute a wide range of precursors for the semiconductor and related industries.
DUE2LAB S.R.L.	Due2Lab company has been investing in the development of radiation detection technologies since 2014 by designing different types of X-ray and gamma-ray sensors based on innovative semiconductors, in particular CZT (CdZnTe).
ERP ITALIA SERVIZI SRL	ERP Italia is the local branch of a Pan-European platform ERP, present worldwide with 32 compliance schemes in 15 countries, offering different kind of compliance and environmental services and solutions to a network composed by over 30.000 customers worldwide. Since 2002, ERP has been promoting and disseminating the principle of circularity and sustainability through correct recycling practices, supporting the aggregation of certified and advanced actors, collecting millions of tons of WEEE and consumed batteries across Europe. ERP will support the design of demand-driven separate collection schemes for WEEE, in particular for EOL PV modules, and will drive the follow-up of new sorting models and best practices for Si-Based material traceability for their reuse into the CLOSER extended environment.
FERAGAME	FERAGAME is one of the most promising realty of the Northern Italy WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling panorama. A young but specialised team offers a wide range of special services in the recycling field since 2010. The company provides a full and dedicated take-back, storage and recycling service system for WEEE producers (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), actively fulfilling environmental legislation. FERAGAME will i) implement new technologies to boost the recycling of EOL PV modules, introducing new implemented and multi-purpose systems for refining Si-based materials (still produced by its current PV recycling plant), other than ii) new AI-based sorting technologies to facilitate the pre-characterisation of collected EOL PV modules and iii) analytical strategies to characterize SI-based materials produced by refining for DPP application
UAB FIVREC	Fivrec UAB is a SME headquartered in Lithuania, with a primary focus on conducting research and development in the field of recycling Lithium-ion batteries. Our core objective is to create an Industry 4.0 urban mining system capable of efficiently retrieving critical metals from used batteries, thereby contributing to environmental conservation. Through collaboration with industry stakeholders, we aspire to establish a sustainable and comprehensive recycling system that benefits both the environment and the economy. With over 15 years of experience in the recycling industry and a global network of partners for material sourcing, our team is well-equipped to develop innovative product recycling processes. Our endeavors align seamlessly with the European Union’s objective of achieving net-zero emissions, meeting sustainability targets, generating employment opportunities, and reducing dependence on expensive imports of critical materials.
ForkBomb BV	Forkbomb BV was founded in October 2021 as a spin-off of the Dyne.org foundation, which has been active since 2005 in the FOSS community with projects with a global impact such as Dynebolic, frei0r, Tomb, and Devuan. Since 2017, Dyne.org has been awarded multiple grants and tenders by the European Commission for research and development in the fields of cryptography, blockchain, identity and digital product passport. One of the outputs of this funding is our unique open-source technological stack, centered on the crypto-vm Zenroom. Then, Forkbomb was established to offer support to our growing community of partners using the Zenroom stack
FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV	The Fraunhofer IISB, a leading European institution, excels in wide-bandgap semiconductors and power electronics, offering comprehensive solutions from materials to complete systems. It focuses on semiconductor manufacturing, electromobility, and sustainable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, and performance under extreme conditions. The institute pioneers in integrating intelligent, data-driven functionalities, supporting global commercial product transitions. It operates from Erlangen and Freiberg, emphasizing sustainable battery systems and material recycling in its research and industrial collaborations.
FREIBERGER COMPOUND MATERIALS GMBH	Freiberger Compound Materials was founded on 18th May 1995, as a spin-off of VEB Spurenmetalle Freiberg, which was established in 1957. Later that year, on 31st August 1995, FCM was sold to “Federmann Enterprises Ltd.”, one of the leading Israeli enterprises with diversified worldwide activities. The current portfolio of FCM includes semi-insulating (SI) and semi-conducting (SC) GaAs single crystals and wafers, produced by the VGF and LEC crystal growth techniques, with a diameter of up to 200 mm. The wafer surfaces are generally epi-ready (extremely low contamination) i.e. their quality is suitable for direct use in epitaxy processes. Simultaneously, FCM develops new technologies for GaAs, InP, and GaN wafer production.
GREEN BLUE MODERN SOLUTIONS PC	Green Blue Modern Solutions (GBMS) is a Thessaloniki-based SME working at the intersection of digital technology and environmental sustainability. Its mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy through digital frameworks, cloud services, intelligent systems, and digital twins. As the EU advances toward strategic autonomy, digital tools serve as critical enablers, connecting actors across value chains to drive traceability, knowledge exchange, and collaboration. Within the CLOSER project, GBMS is supporting the development and integration of the DPP, along with its dissemination, aiming towards a circular, resilient, and autonomous Europe.
Holland Circular Hotspot	HCH is a private foundation that accelerates the global transition to a circular economy by connecting governments, knowledge institutions, businesses, and citizens. Over the years, HCH has led and participated in numerous international missions and partnerships of circular economy. In 2026, it organised and supported circular economy activities across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, while welcoming delegations from Japan, Taiwan, and Brussels. These engagements focused on circular economy strategies, critical raw materials, resource resilience, and circular innovation.
INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELE (IMEC)	IMEC is a world-leading R&D center for digital technologies with the goal of creating solutions and building blocks for a better, healthier life in a sustainable environment through innovations in nanoelectronics and digital research. IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and has affiliates in the Netherlands, Taiwan, USA, China, India and Japan. imec is world-renowned for its expertise in CMOS scaling, photovoltaics, imagers, flexible electronics and heterogeneous integration complimented by application-driven research programs including the Intuitive Internet of Things. In the CLOSER project, two distinct R&D programs would be bringing a contribution: The Si Photovoltaics program and the Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies & System program.
IFW Dresden	The Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden is concerned with modern materials science and combines explorative research in physics, chemistry and materials science with technological development of new materials and products. IFW is focused on functional and nanoscale materials which are governed by the phenomena of quantum mechanics. The junction of the three research areas Quantum matter – Nanoscale materials – Functional materials is the unique feature of the IFW Dresden.
LEONARDO – SOCIETA PER AZIONI	Leonardo is a global industrial group that builds technological capabilities in Aerospace, Defence and Security. The company plays a prominent role in major international strategic programmes and is a trusted technological partner of governments, defence agencies, institutions, and enterprises. With consolidated experience in radar (RF) and infrared (IR) sensors, Leonardo has complete in-house capability to produce critical components for civil and military applications. Leonardo’s foundry mainly deals with the design and fabrication of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs), using GaAS (Gallium Arsenide) and GaN (Gallium Nitride), materials essential for the new generation of multi-functional AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radars. The foundry is a distinctive asset in microelectronic components in Europe, and represents a model of collaboration between Leonardo, universities, and research centres. In the framework of this project, Leonardo will be one of the providers of waste materials based on Gallium and will be the final user of the recycled materials, evaluating the real possibilities of the new recycled materials for Radio Frequency applications.
LORUSSO ESTRAZIONE SRL	Lorusso Estrazione srl is a company founded in June 2014 to create an electronic waste treatment plant with the aim of redeveloping the waste and making it an asset for the territory. It makes use of technicians specialized in treatment and research given that it itself is a licensee of a treatment patent for electronic waste. They are involved in secondary semiconductor raw material recovery in the CLOSER Project.
OUT OF USE	Founded in 2009, Out of Use is a dedicated Belgian B2B e-waste recycler processing approximately 1.5 million kilograms annually. Holding the WEELABEX certificate since 2018, the company provides end-to-end logistics, data destruction, remarketing, and recycling. Within CLOSER, Out of Use develops the sorting, dismantling, and certification frameworks for decommissioned PV systems to ensure compliant and traceable component reuse.
POLITECNICO DI MILANO	Politecnico di Milano is the leading Italian technical university where 40,000 engineers, architects and designers are educated each year. It is located in Lombardy, the region with higher density of industries in Europe and the third most important region in Europe for the number of jobs in manufacturing. POLIMI has developed a fruitful relationship with economic and productive reality through experimental research and technology transfer. The Manufacturing and Production System Lab are part of the Mechanical Engineering Department (POLIMI-MECC). Its main research topics concern the area of transformation processes of industrial products, ranging from mechanical and technological characteristics of transformed materials to methodologies and tools for designing processes, the planning, management and control of manufacturing and assembly systems.
R.A.I.T 88 SRL	RAIT88 is a company that deals with the design, development, integration, repair, and management or electronic and robotic apparatus. It is a specialist of obsolescence solutions, particularly for Defence and NATO electronic systems. Raitt88 is investing in research activities in virtual reality, AI, advanced sensors, and quantum Lidar/quantum radar to keep its product on the edge.
SELCOM GROUP S.P.A.	Selcom Group is an international EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) company that designs, tests and manufactures customised electronic and electromechanical equipment and systems. With its own supply chain, Selcom Group can offer very advantageous economies of scale as well as speed and operational efficiency.
SMART PHOTONICS BV	SMART Photonics are an InP foundry for the fabrication of Photonic Integrated Circuits. Based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands we are part of the Brainport infrastructure, in close proximity to semiconductor giant ASML. SMART Photonics takes on the dual role of delivering InP-containing waste materials to the consortium and in fabricating devices on InP wafers containing recycled indium to verify the quality of the new product.
SOLTECH	Soltech NV is a Belgian photovoltaic technology company and manufacturer of customised solar modules, operating from its production site in Genk. With extensive experience in applied solar solutions, Soltech focuses on Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and dedicated PV modules for industrial, autonomous and specialised applications. The company combines a highly flexible production line with strong in-house R&D, prototyping, testing and early-stage manufacturing capabilities, enabling the development of tailor-made solar products for façades, roofs, glazing, canopies, noise barriers and other high-value applications. Soltech is recognized for its ability to translate innovative PV technologies into reliable, aesthetically integrated and energy-efficient products, and actively collaborates with research institutes and industrial partners to advance sustainable, circular and European-made photovoltaic solutions.
SWEGAN AB	SweGaN was founded by a team of researchers at Linköping University’s internationally distinguished technology department, bringing unique expertise in both GaN and SiC technology. Today SweGaN produces benchmark-performance GaN-on-SiC epiwafers based on our ground-breaking QuanFINE® growth technology. SweGaN supplies high-quality Gallium Nitride to the industry’s leading foundries and custom-made materials to manufacturers of leading components and devices for satellite, communications, and defence organisations.
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TOR VERGATA	The University of Rome Tor Vergata (UNITOV) is divided into six schools: Economics, Engineering, Humanities, Law, Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences, and Medicine and Surgery. There are 18 departments that, combined, offer 31 PhD programmes and 51 master’s degree programmes. The university also offers 55 undergraduate three-year bachelor’s degree programmes and 7 single-cycle degree programmes. Moreover, Tor Vergata University of Rome offers 20 international degree courses taught in English: 3 bachelor’s, 15 master’s and 2 Single-cycle degree courses. The university has taken significant steps in recent years to participate in international projects and to link industries to its research. It also participates in interdisciplinary dialogue with local businesses to provide support to entrepreneurial activities and small businesses. UTV is part of the Rome Technopole. UTV will participate through the Department of Enterprise Engineering, particularly keen on advanced and industrial research and technology Transfer.
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELLA TUSCIA	IUniversità degli Studi della Tuscia (UNITUS) is an Italian public university based in Viterbo, with recognized expertise in sustainability, circular economy, innovation management, and industrial transition. Within the CLOSER project, UNITUS contributes to Work Package 8 by supporting market analysis, stakeholder engagement, and policy-related activities, helping to identify pathways for the large-scale adoption of circular solutions and strengthening the business case for a resilient European semiconductor value chain.
UNIVERSITA TELEMATICA PEGASO S.R.L.	Unipegaso, an accredited telematic university based in Naples, Italy, specializes in diverse online degree programs. Known for its innovative educational approach, it is set to pioneer a master class (MOOC) in recycling and recovering raw materials for recovered input in microelectronics, underscoring its commitment to sustainability and technological advancement in the digital era.
VELTHA IVZW	VELTHA is a not-for-profit International Research Association established in Belgium in 2010 to perform Research in the field of Sustainable Development and Circular Economy. It is composed of several members involved as partners, coordinators and expert evaluators in national and international projects, including EC projects funded under FP7, INTERREG, H2020, and I3 programmes. Veltha chairs the “Screen-lab”, a think tank open to all regional stakeholders willing to co-create and implement circular economy policies. Veltha also has strong skills in project management, dissemination activities and preparation of implementation plans targeted to the research results, including the organisation of agreements for the IPR sharing and marketing actions.