Eyescanner, renamed Sightic Analytics, was founded in Gothenburg in 2019 by former police officer Stefanie Najafi and psychologist Jenny Johansson to detect drug and alcohol impairment from images of the eyes. Its EIC application described "a revolutionary AI-based software that detects the influence of alcohol and other drugs through image analysis of eye area", usable on phones, in cars and in hospitals, and said alcohol and drugs cause 30% of road deaths and 25% of fatal workplace accidents in Europe, according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,456,775 towards a €3.51 million project from April 2023 to March 2025. The final report says the three objectives were met: a validation study was completed, a production version of the software with secure data capture was developed, and pilots tested it in real conditions, starting with cars and micro-mobility. On 4 February 2026 Smart Eye, a listed Swedish maker of driver-monitoring systems, agreed to buy all shares in Sightic for a fixed price of SEK 60.5 million, paid almost entirely in new Smart Eye shares, and completed the deal later that month, Smart Eye announced.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Sightic Analytics AB, formerly Eyescanner Technology Sweden AB, Gothenburg
- Founders
- Stefanie Najafi, Jenny Johansson
- Product
- AI impairment detection from eye images
- Acquirer
- Smart Eye AB, Nasdaq Stockholm
- Consideration
- 724,544 new Smart Eye shares at SEK 83.50, plus SEK 576 cash
- EIC project
- EYESCANNER, 1 Apr 2023 to 31 Mar 2025, closed
- EIC funding
- Blended finance
Where Sightic Stands Now
Sightic is part of Smart Eye, which plans to combine Sightic's alcohol- and drug-impairment technology with its own distraction, drowsiness and alcohol detection in one automotive system, according to the acquisition announcement. The largest Sightic shareholders, holding more than 92% of its shares, agreed not to sell their Smart Eye shares for up to 12 months. Completion needed clearance from Sweden's Inspectorate of Strategic Products, which was granted.
"The technology is now mature and ready to be scaled and integrated into vehicles for broad deployment."
Stefanie Najafi, co-founder, Sightic, February 2026The Technology: Impairment in the Eyes
Sightic's software analyses eye movement and pupil patterns in video and uses a model trained on an extensive dataset of medical drug tests to predict whether a person is under the influence, the report says. It is meant to run on existing hardware, so a drug check can happen in a car or an e-scooter app where no test was possible before, and replace slower methods in policing and workplaces.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The project promised to finish the software and demonstrate it in several scenarios with industry partners. The report says all three objectives were met but gives no accuracy figures from the validation study, and names no pilot partners. It describes the solution as "ready for the subsequent commercial stage". CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Validation studyDeliveredAccuracy not published.
- Production softwareDeliveredPer report.
- Real-life pilotsDeliveredCars, micro-mobility.
- Independent companyEndedSold to Smart Eye.
The Money
The fixed price of SEK 60.5 million was paid through a set-off issue of 724,544 Smart Eye shares at SEK 83.50 each, diluting Smart Eye's shareholders by about 1.9%. How much Sightic's founders and investors had put in, whether the EIC Fund invested under the blended award, and whether any further payment depends on targets are not stated in the completion notice.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How accurate the validated software is, which companies ran pilots, whether the EIC Fund held shares and what it received in the sale are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Alcohol and drugs play a part in 30% of road deaths in Europe, the application says. The EIC funded the Gothenburg technology to maturity, and it was bought by another Gothenburg company that already ships driver-monitoring systems in production vehicles.
What the project promised
A validated, production-ready AI drug test piloted with industry partners.
What the record shows
Validation, production software and pilots, followed by sale to Smart Eye for SEK 60.5 million in shares.
The Verdict
Delivered, then acquired
Sightic did what the EIC paid for and found a buyer that can put its technology into vehicles. The public never saw the accuracy data behind it.
Sightic, Smart Eye and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
