Morphotonics, based in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, has developed roll-to-plate nanoimprint lithography, which stamps nanoscale patterns into resin across panels up to 1.3 by 1.1 metres, so hundreds of the waveguides that project images in augmented reality glasses can be made in one cycle instead of wafer by wafer. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off and received an EU grant of €2.46 million for AR-R2P, a €3.51 million project that ran from October 2023 to March 2026, according to CORDIS. The objective named sampling customers "Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Vuzix", and said Morphotonics would seek a €10 million equity component "to set up a European foundry" so European customers could "regain sovereignty over the AR hardware production".
The only public report, to September 2024, describes process development for surface cleaning, primers and resin, better uniformity across multi-waveguide panels, a resin "qualified by a customer", and a quality-control system for a foundry, according to the CORDIS reporting page. On 22 September 2026 Morphotonics announced a Series B of more than €40 million with the EIC Fund among the investors, and said revenue tripled in 2025 as it "installed several platforms for high-volume manufacturing worldwide", according to Morphotonics. No European foundry has been announced.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Morphotonics BV, Veldhoven
- CEO
- Hugo da Silva
- Product
- Cypris large-area nanoimprint platform
- Series B investors
- 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, BOM, Invest-NL, EIC Fund, Ernij Next, EIB
- Customer regions
- China, Taiwan, US, Europe
- New market
- Co-packaged optics
- EIC funding
- Grant first, later EIC Fund equity
Where Morphotonics Stands Now
The Series B brought in Invest-NL as a major new investor alongside existing backers 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries and BOM, with the EIC Fund, Ernij Next and the European Investment Bank. The money will expand production of the Cypris platform, product development and teams. Chief executive Hugo da Silva said AI glasses "will not reach mass adoption unless the optical components inside them can be manufactured at consumer-electronics scale". The company works with manufacturers in China, Taiwan, the United States and Europe and runs a Chinese-language website. Absolute revenue figures are not public.
"Our role is to make that possible. By bringing nanoimprint lithography from specialist production into high-volume manufacturing, we'll ensure the AI glasses and Physical AI future can arrive."
Hugo da Silva, CEO of Morphotonics, September 2026The Technology: Stamping Optics at Panel Scale
Waveguides are thin glass plates with nanoscale gratings that steer light from a tiny projector into the wearer's eye. The industry makes them with wafer-scale nanoimprint lithography, borrowed from chipmaking, which limits how many fit on each substrate. Morphotonics uses a flexible stamp rolled across a large panel. It claims the same or better quality at much lower cost; independent comparisons have not been published.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
The award promised to mature the equipment and process, prove them with a customer against market specifications, and prepare a European foundry. The first-year work is documented, and customer uptake is reflected in the tripled revenue. The final report is not public, so the pilot run and external validation cannot be checked, and the business took the form of selling machines rather than running a foundry in Europe.
- Process developmentDeliveredFirst report details.
- Customer validationPartialResin qualified; no pilot data.
- European foundryNot builtSells platforms instead.
- Commercial growthDeliveredRevenue tripled, 2025.
The Money
The EU paid 70% of the project. The EIC Fund's share of the Series B has not been disclosed, nor whether it matches the €10 million foundry equity the company described. The Series B is more than 16 times the EIC grant, and two public investors, Invest-NL and the EIB, are among the backers.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How much the EIC Fund invested and on what conditions, whether the foundry plan was dropped, how many platforms went to customers outside Europe, and why no final report is public are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Morphotonics' pitch to the EIC was European sovereignty over waveguide production. It has become a fast-growing European equipment maker, which keeps know-how in the Netherlands, but the manufacturing it enables takes place at customers in China, Taiwan and the US as well as Europe.
What the award promised
A validated waveguide process and a European foundry for European AR makers.
What the record shows
A growing equipment business selling worldwide, backed by a €40M+ Series B.
The Verdict
Success, different shape
Morphotonics is scaling fast with EIC support. It did so by selling its machines worldwide, not by building the European foundry it told the EIC about.
Morphotonics and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
