Suprema, an innovative start-up and spin-off of ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) specialising in the production of superconducting tapes based on high-temperature critical superconducting materials (HTS tapes), announces that it has closed a €900,000 pre-seed investment round. The investment was underwritten by Tech4Planet, the national technology transfer hub for sustainability promoted by CDP Venture Capital.
Thanks to the new resources, Suprema will start designing Europe’s largest plant for the production of superconducting tape at high critical temperature, laying the foundations for a technological and industrial positioning that can strengthen European competitiveness in one of the most strategic sectors for the future of energy sustainability and ecological transition.
The company was founded by Andrea Augieri, Fabio Fabbri, Francesco Rizzo and Giuseppe Celentano, four researchers from ENEA’s Nuclear Department (NUC), each with over 20 years’ experience in the study of materials and the development of advanced production processes for this technology.
Suprema’s mission is to become the point of reference in Europe for the production of HTS tapes, helping to redress the current geographical imbalance that sees 90% of production capacity concentrated in the Far East. This strategic objective fits into the framework of Governor Mario Draghi’s recommendations for European competitiveness, which call for greater technological self-sufficiency of our continent in critical sectors for the future.
“This investment represents an important step for the growth of the superconductivity sector in Europe,’ says Andrea Augieri, CEO of Suprema, pictured here with the other founders, in a note. ‘Our team founded the company after devoting over twenty years to research and publishing several landmark scientific papers on the subject. It is a background that will enable us to make a decisive contribution to the technological challenges related to the production and use of energy in various sectors, from Magnetic Fusion to aerospace, from mobility to medical and scientific research’.
“We are very proud to support Suprema at this crucial stage of its journey. This investment represents not only a financial commitment, but a strategic choice to ensure European competitiveness in a frontier sector such as that of high-temperature superconducting tapes,’ comments Claudia Pingue, senior partner and head of CDP Venture Capital’s Technology Transfer Fund. Suprema’s strategy represents a unique opportunity to position Europe as a technology leader and we are confident that with the company’s distinctive know-how, we can help revolutionise this market, bringing innovation and strategic independence to the global landscape.
HTS superconducting ribbons are crucial assets for multiple applications, starting with the energy sector. They make it possible to create extremely powerful magnetic fields necessary to confine and stabilise plasma at very high temperatures, thus representing a key technology for the future of magnetic fusion, considered one of the most promising solutions for clean, safe and sustainable power generation.
The magnetic fusion sector is going through a phase of strong growth, as witnessed by the birth of numerous companies around the world dedicated to the development of reactors: in the last five years alone, 27 new companies have been set up, which have already raised over seven billion dollars in private investment. In Italy, too, the sector is seeing leading players: ENI, for example, is involved in the SPARC project of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a spin-off of MIT in Boston, and is collaborating with ENEA on the DTT (Divertor Tokamak Test) reactor.
In addition to magnetic fusion applications, HTS tapes also find applications in other strategic sectors such as electrical distribution and transmission, particularly within data centres, where energy efficiency is crucial to reduce consumption and improve the sustainability of digital infrastructures.
Other areas of use include high mobility, such as next-generation aircraft and ships, where HTS tapes can help develop more efficient and lighter propulsion solutions. In the bio-medical sector, HTS tapes are used to make magnetic resonance magnets, improving the quality of diagnostic images and reducing operating costs. In heavy industries, they can be used in smelters, the melting furnaces used in the metallurgical industry, and in magnetic separators, devices that use magnetic fields to separate magnetic and non-magnetic materials. In aerospace, superconducting ribbons are used to make magnetic shields and thrusters, improving the safety and reliability of missions. In addition, scientific research, including large experiments such as particle accelerators, benefits from the use of HTS tapes to generate extremely powerful and stable magnetic fields, which are essential for the operation of these complex infrastructures.
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