GlucoSet and the EIC Accelerator: Glucose Sensing in Intensive Care

GlucoSet, founded in 2011 and based in Trondheim, Norway, has developed a sensor that measures blood glucose continuously in intensive care patients by passing through the arterial catheter most of them already have. Its EIC project said nine in ten ICU patients develop high blood sugar and that no continuous glucose monitor worked for them, because sensors made for diabetics are not accurate enough in the ICU. It set out to make the product "ready for CE-mark (TRL8) in 25 months", according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,500,000 towards a €5.03 million project, MAGIC, from December 2022 to January 2025. The final report says GlucoSet finished and verified its disposable sensor and reusable monitor, ran usability, animal and clinical trials, kept manufacturing yield at or above 90% and filed three patent applications. The ICU trial "was still ongoing" at the end, "although preliminary results were above expectations". It reports accuracy in "low to mid single digit MARD", a standard error measure. The EIC Fund lists GlucoSet in its portfolio, and in May 2026 the EIC selected the company again, for CLICC, a project to close the loop in critical care. No CE mark or sales have been announced.

Where GlucoSet Stands Now

GlucoSet reported no revenue for 2025, a net loss of NOK 7.9 million and equity of NOK 81.2 million, according to the Brønnøysund Register Centre. Its website says the product "is currently in development, and has been tested in patients". The new CLICC award, "Closing the Loop In Critical Care", has no project on CORDIS yet.

The Technology: A Sensor Inside the Arterial Line

GlucoSet says its sensor has a cross-section under 5% of the smallest competing product, which lets it go through an arterial catheter without displacing other equipment, and that arterial access makes it less sensitive to clotting and intravenous nutrition. The report says it has no significant delay even when glucose changes fast, a short warm-up and a one-year shelf life with one-point calibration, and that ICU nurses found it easy to use.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

MAGIC promised a product ready for CE marking, followed by clinical validation and scale-up. The report shows a finished, verified system in its first ICU trial with promising preliminary data. It does not say whether a CE application was submitted, and no trial results have been published. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. Sensor and monitorDeliveredVerified.
2. ManufacturabilityDeliveredYield ≥90%.
3. ICU clinical trialOngoingAt project end.
4. CE markingNot announcedNo public record.

The Money

The report says a venture-capital-led financing round during the project was "critical to the success of the project". The EIC Fund's portfolio listing confirms an EIC investment, but its size has not been disclosed. The 2026 award is again blended finance, combining grant and equity.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

GlucoSet's website says more than $500 million has been spent trying to make continuous glucose monitoring work in intensive care. The EIC has now backed a Norwegian attempt twice, with grants and equity. The clinical evidence that would justify that confidence is still to be published.

The Verdict

GlucoSet and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.