Aurora Sterilisation secures i-Démo funding for its PLASMED project: a major advance in endoscope sterilisation in hospitals (AcT)

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Date: 20 October 2026

Aurora Sterilisation today announced that it has been awarded i-Démo funding, an industrial innovation support scheme operated by Bpifrance in partnership with the Normandy Region, for its PLASMED project (Development of an innovative RF chain for the optimised, robust and stable generation of medical plasma for the sterile reprocessing of endoscopes in hospitals).

Every year, more than 100 million gastrointestinal endoscopies are performed worldwide. Depending on the procedure, 1 to 4 patients in every thousand develop an infection as a result – at least 100,000 infected patients per year.

Yet, to date, no sterilisation solution exists for these long flexible endoscopes. The PLASMED project aims to fill this gap by developing a next-generation radiofrequency (RF) chain capable of generating a cold oxygen plasma — non-toxic, compatible with sensitive materials and effective at low temperatures.

Jan Laarman, CEO of Aurora, said: “This recognition validates the technological and medical ambition we share with our partners. PLASMED is not just an industrial innovation: it is a concrete response to an unmet need in thousands of hospitals.”

The PLASMED project brings together three complementary players from the Normandy region:

• Aurora Sterilisation (lead partner) — designer and manufacturer of the Aqsaniit machine, based in Normandy in Rouen and Oissel
• ESIGELEC — general engineering school, contributing its expertise in multiphysics RF simulation
• Selha Group (EINEA) — industrial electronics specialist, responsible for manufacturing the RF chain

Together, this consortium aims to overcome the current technological barriers in medical RF: component overheating, impedance instability, lack of dynamic control and absence of native medical certification.

PLASMED plans to file 4 new patents (EU and US), covering in particular dual impedance/frequency matching and its application to plasma sterilisation. The project's results will also benefit the scientific community through publications and participation in specialised trade shows.

The PLASMED project is expected to create between 49 and 61 jobs in Normandy within 3 to 5 years of the project's completion, across Aurora Sterilisation and Selha Group. The market launch of the next-generation Aqsaniit machine is planned for early 2029, with priority target markets in the USA, France, Germany, Benelux and the United Kingdom — representing nearly 40% of the global endoscopic procedures market.

Press contact:

Aurora Sterilisation – 177, boulevard de l'Yser - 76000 Rouen, France

Jan Laarman

Email: jan.laarman@aurora-sterilisation.com

Website: https://www.aurora-sterilisation.com

About Aurora Sterilisation

Aurora Sterilisation develops an innovative sterilisation technology for medical devices, aiming to protect patients, support medical innovation and preserve the environment through an energy-efficient process that is safe for human health. The technology uses natural plasmas generated from pure air gases. Aurora is based in Rouen and Reims.

About Selha Group

Selha Group is a Normandy-based industrial group specialising in the design and manufacture of complex electronic and electromechanical systems. Through its subsidiary EINEA, the group operates in demanding sectors such as defence, energy and industry. As part of PLASMED, Selha Group brings its expertise in RF power electronics to design and industrialise the medical RF chain, strengthening its strategic position in RF systems for healthcare.

Press contact: Selha Group | www.selha-group.com

About ESIGELEC

ESIGELEC is a leading general engineering school (grande école) based in Rouen, Normandy. Renowned for the excellence of its programmes and the quality of its research, it has advanced technical platforms in electronics, embedded systems and numerical simulation. Within the PLASMED project, ESIGELEC is applying its expertise in multiphysics RF simulation to model plasma behaviour and optimise antenna design, opening up a new field of applied medical research with potential for national and international impact.

Press contact: ESIGELEC | www.esigelec.fr

About i-Démo

i-Démo is a call for projects under the France 2030 programme, operated by Bpifrance, which aims to develop high value-added industrial companies and support advanced-stage demonstrators through grants and repayable advances. It is open to individual SMEs or to industrial and research consortia including at least one SME or mid-sized company (ETI).