QDI Systems, a DeepTech company based in Groningen, announced today its €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to scale its quantum dots (QDs) technology for X-ray and shortwave infrared (SWIR) applications.
The total funding available for QDI Systems through the grant and accompanying equity financing is up to €7.5 million.
“The timing is critical for accelerating our industrial prototyping capabilities, as our customers in both consumer technology and medical imaging sectors are preparing to launch products incorporating our technology. This investment will enable us to meet their immediate needs while scaling our production capabilities,” explains Artem Shulga, CEO and Founder of QDI Systems.
“Moreover, by developing and manufacturing this breakthrough technology within Europe, we’re strengthening the entire European semiconductor ecosystem and ensuring our continent remains at the forefront of imaging technology advancement.”
QDI Systems was founded in 2019 as a spin-off of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials at the University of Groningen by physicist, PhD Artem Shulga.
QDI Systems is a DeepTech company developing imaging devices for medical applications, utilising nanomaterial QDs. The QDI System team consists of 17 professionals, many of whom hold a Ph.D. in chemistry or nanoscience.
QDI Systems is focused on innovating X-ray and SWIR imaging by applying nanomaterial QDs in imaging processes such as X-ray imaging, delivering higher-quality imaging and lowering harmful radiation dose.
According to the company, they are the first in the world to utilise QDs for medical X-ray imaging.
With up to €7.5 million in new funding from the EIC, QDI Systems will scale its QDs technology for X-ray and SWIR applications. The company has increased its customer base ten-fold in the last year alone.
As per comments by QDI, imaging technology is essential in modern life, from medical diagnostics to smartphones, enabling us to visualise what is invisible to the human eye. However, current X-ray and SWIR detection technologies face critical limitations. In medical imaging, “outdated” X-ray detectors produce inadequate image quality, leading to high false rates in mammography and unnecessary radiation exposure. Legacy sensors lack the sensitivity needed for safe, accurate imaging.
QDI argues that SWIR imaging, despite its potential in medical and consumer applications, remains limited by high costs, and poor resolution. These technological limitations reportedly affect healthcare outcomes and industrial efficiency.
QDI Systems looks to address these challenges by developing imaging devices using QDs – nanometer-scale semiconductor nanoparticles that efficiently convert photons into electronic signals. QDI focuses on X-ray and SWIR applications.
The technology extends beyond medical uses to industrial sorting processes and consumer applications like facial recognition.
With EIC investment support, QDI Systems will scale its production capacity and establish European leadership in imaging hardware.
QDI Systems previously raised a total funding of €6.6 million from investors including NOM, the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands, Carduso Capital, RuG Ventures, and Maki.vc.
