The aim of the SiNAPS project is to develop standalone "dust"-sized chemical sensing platforms that harvest energy from ambient electromagnetic radiation (light) and will enable miniaturisation below the current mm^3 barrier. Current solutions in nanoelectronics are enabled by new materials at the nanoscale. It is proposed to use high-density semiconductor nanowire arrays, such as Si and Ge, as efficient photovoltaic units and low-power chemical sensing elements on small volume modules to be integrated, via 3D system in a chip, in a miniaturised platform that transmits the acquired information wirelessly for further processing. To demonstrate the proof-of-concept without committing huge resources in optimization the SiNAPS project has set a pragmatic but ambitious, miniaturisation target ~10^8 µm^3, beyond the state-of-the-art. With further development of the energy harvesting and sensing technology, 10^6 µm^3 and below can be possible.SiNAPS brings together a consortium to address the two topics of the ICT-Proactive call, namely: (a) fundamentals of ambient energy harvesting at the nanoscale and (b) development of self powered autonomous sensor devices, with target dimensions of 1 mm^3. These topics are of great interest in the areas of energy supply, energy use in ICT, smart(er) buildings, medical diagnostics, e-health and integrated smart systems.SiNAPS involves the development of the capacity of nanowires for use as a nanoscale energy harvester and a (bio-)chemical sensor for the prototype biotin-streptavidin system via fundamental studies. Miniaturised CMOS electronics will be developed for efficient power management and sensor interface. Existing IP for wireless communication will be used to avoid costly development. The integrated modules will be used to demonstrate the SiNAPS mote concept. Concluding SiNAPS, a set of new technologies for self powered autonomous devices and beyond will be available for further development towards commercialisation.