Distinkt wins €335,000 to bring a new generation of anti-fraud smart inks to market
The technology-based company of UAB, ICN2 and CSIC has received a Neotec grant, a subsidy for technology-based companies from the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI).
Distinkt is one of 131 companies that have received funding from the NEOTEC programme of the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI). The company, founded by researchers from UAB, ICN2 and CSIC, will use the funding to continue developing a new generation of smart inks to combat fraud.
Its technology is based on a powder containing nano- and microparticles that change colour or fluoresce when exposed to infrared light. The ink is dynamic and adaptive, so it can be customised and its effect can be adjusted to produce different results. The nanoparticles are easily incorporated into existing inks. Invisible to the human eye but visible under certain light conditions, they provide a dynamic and unique signature: they can change colour from time to time or have a different effect depending on the type of light applied.
The inks can be used to stamp signs, barcodes or QR codes on any material or object, from banknotes to official documents, from bags to cosmetic products, to certify their authenticity.
