European deep tech started 2026 with strong momentum. The Novo Nordisk Foundation’s €736M commitment to BioInnovation Institute headlined a week that saw significant activity in quantum computing, subsea infrastructure, and life sciences – even as the European Commission flagged concerns over a widening biotech gap.
Policy & ecosystem
- Novo Nordisk Foundation backs BioInnovation Institute with €736M to scale life sciences and deeptech innovation [Tech.eu]
- Commission warns of a widening EU biotech gap [Science|Business]
- The University of Latvia supports 16 high-impact projects worth €4.25M [Labs of Latvia]
Quantum & frontier tech
- Equal1 raises $60M to roll out plug-and-play quantum computers [Sifted]
Spacetech
- Hydrosat’s thermal satellite tech targets water scarcity and agricultural risk, backed by new €51M [EU-Startups]
Photonics
- Polar Light Technologies raises over €5M to boost MicroLED commercialization [Startup Rise]
- AlphaLum raises CHF 3.4M for efficient AR displays and low-power sensing [Tech Funding News]
Biotech & medtech
- Avenue Biosciences raises $5.7M to scale high-throughput protein engineering [Tech.eu]
Mö Foods lands €2.4M to scale oat cheese that rivals dairy on taste [Tech Funding News] - FluoSphera secures €1.23M to expand human-based preclinical platform [Tech.eu]
- Researching new biomaterials for facial bone tissue regeneration [Labs of Latvia]
DIVE DEEPER: How FluoSphera raised €1.23M – “Turning interest into commitment is the hardest part”
Climate, energy & industrial tech
- Amsterdam-based Optics11 secures €25M EIB loan to strengthen Europe’s subsea and energy security [EU-Startups]
- reTyre builds dust-free tyre plant in Norway with Vittoria tie-up after €7M raise [Tech Funding News]
- ICOS Capital invests in Mevaldi B.V., a producer of cost-effective, bio-based chemical building blocks, to support its further industrial scale up and commercial roll-out [Press release]
- Rollo Robotics secures €3.7M funding to mature monowheel security robot [Invest in Estonia]
