Dunia and the EIC Accelerator: A Robot Lab for CO2 Catalysts

Dunia Innovations, registered in Berlin in 2022 and now a GmbH, builds IRIS, an autonomous laboratory that combines physics-informed AI models, robotic synthesis and device-level electrochemical testing in a closed loop to discover electrocatalysts, the materials that drive reactions such as turning captured CO₂ into fuels and chemicals. Its EIC Accelerator project receives an EU contribution of €2,499,525 and runs from December 2024 to November 2026, according to CORDIS. The report notes that discovering and validating a new industrial catalyst typically takes 15 to 20 years; Dunia says IRIS cuts discovery time by up to 90%.

During the first year, the report says, Dunia integrated robotics, orchestration software, data management and machine learning into IRIS Platform V2, ran 2,533 automated platform tasks in the first half of the project and cut the failure rate to 0.19%, built a data infrastructure for experimental results, and "initiated AI-driven catalyst discovery campaigns in closed-loop mode" for CO₂ reduction, according to CORDIS. In October 2024 Dunia raised $11.5 million led by Elaia and redalpine, with the EIC, Pace Ventures, Kindred Capital, Deep Science Ventures and the mining group Anglo American, according to Startbase.

Where Dunia Stands Now

Dunia has won further German public funding, including €2.4 million from April 2026 for the ASCEND catalyst project, according to North Data. In February 2026 it made the case in the press for a €500 million EU-funded materials testing facility, according to its press page. It has not announced a validated catalyst or a commercial licensing deal. Its accounts were not accessible in free sources.

The Technology: Experiments Chosen by Algorithms

Most lab automation handles isolated steps with manual handoffs, the EIC report says. IRIS lets algorithms choose candidate materials, robots make and test them under realistic device conditions, and the results retrain the models. The aim is to find catalysts that stay stable in operation, not only active in short tests, and to build a large proprietary dataset along the way.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project runs to November 2026, so it is too early to judge it. The platform works reliably and discovery campaigns have started. The promised output, high-performance catalysts for CO₂ conversion under realistic conditions, has not been shown publicly.

1. IRIS Platform V2Delivered0.19% failures.
2. Data infrastructureBuiltProject report.
3. Closed-loop discoveryStartedCampaigns initiated.
4. Validated new catalystNot publishedNo announcement.

The Money

The EIC is listed among the investors in Dunia's 2024 round, so its equity arrived early. Dunia has also drawn substantial German public money, more than €4 million in grants and state aid beyond the EIC grant.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Faster catalyst discovery would speed up green chemicals and fuels, which the EIC report ties to the Green Deal. Dunia's argument for a large EU testing facility shows the scale of infrastructure it believes the field needs.

The Verdict

Dunia and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.