RadonTec and the EIC Accelerator: A Radon Sensor Put to the Test

Radon is a radioactive gas that seeps from the ground into buildings, and the EU project RadonTec won calls indoor radon the second most frequent cause of lung cancer. According to its CORDIS objective, more than 34 million buildings in the EU have raised radon levels. The objective argues that a compact, affordable, smart radon sensor is central to monitoring them.

RadonTec, a family business in Wittislingen, Bavaria, that has sold radon measurement and protection for years, proposed a sensor small and cheap enough to be built into ventilation units, air quality monitors and building controls. The European Innovation Council granted €1,590,750 towards a €2.27 million project. The sensor exists, is sold in RadonTec's own devices, and an independent study published in 2026 found it accurate. What is not public is whether other manufacturers are building it in at scale, which was the point.

Where RadonTec Stands Today

RadonTec sells its own sensor-based monitors, such as the AlphaTracer Office at €890 and the AlphaTracer Industry at €980, through its online shop, which also sells other makers' devices. In January 2024 it signed a distribution deal with Ecosense to sell its consumer radon monitors in Europe, which describes RadonTec as a family-run company with more than ten years of radon expertise and accreditation from the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection for workplace radon testing.

The German register lists the company as active, with Martin Waltl as managing director since April 2024; co-founder Rudolf Waltl held the post until July 2023. We found no announced private funding round.

The Technology: A Lucas Cell, Shrunk

The AlphaSensor is based on the Lucas cell, a classic radon detector in which alpha particles from radon decay make a scintillating coating flash. The independent study describes it as a Lucas cell-type detector, and the CORDIS objective says the flashes are read with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) technology. The module calculates radon concentration as a 60-minute moving average from six ten-minute measurements and reports it over a serial interface, so that other devices can use it.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project aimed at a sensor for mass production, to be built into building automation, heating and ventilation units and air quality monitors. The CORDIS report says the sensor gained 50% in sensitivity and is "at least 70% smaller than other solutions". The company built products around it, the AlphaTracer Industry and Office monitors and the LivAir product line, plus a cloud dashboard and interfaces for Bluetooth, WiFi, Modbus and NB-IoT, and achieved IP54 protection for industrial settings. The report gives no sales, unit or customer numbers.

1. A compact, accurate radon sensorDeliveredIndependently tested in 2026; ±10% uncertainty confirmed.
2. Connected productsDeliveredAlphaTracer and LivAir lines, cloud dashboard, multiple interfaces.
3. 60% cheaper than other sensorsNot shownNo published price comparison for the module.
4. Integration by other manufacturersNot shownNo announced OEM customer.

The Independent Test

In February 2026 three researchers from Plovdiv University and Sofia University published an evaluation of 43 AlphaSensor modules in Sensors, also available on PubMed Central. The work was funded through Bulgaria's recovery plan, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest. Against a reference AlphaGUARD monitor, over roughly 16,000 measurements from 10 to 20,000 Bq/m³, the sensors' mean sensitivity was 0.959 of the reference, within the manufacturer's ±10% claim. They found an average response delay of about 36 minutes, one sensor with low sensitivity and one with electronic noise, and concluded the sensors were "affordable and applicable for home use" and suited to large monitoring networks if individually calibrated.

The Money

The EIC grant, at €1.59 million, is the largest funding we could find for RadonTec. Its award was "grant first", under which any EIC equity is decided later; we found no EIC Fund investment. The company also received €111,126 in EU funding for a separate project, ARTEMIS, in 2022, according to North Data.

Why Europe Should Care

EU radiation protection law requires member states to set reference levels for indoor radon and to plan how to reduce exposure. Cheap, continuous sensors built into ventilation and building systems would make that measurable at scale, and a European maker of such sensors is a natural partner for Europe's HVAC and building technology industry.

The Verdict

RadonTec has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records, company statements, independent research and EU project data, linked throughout.