Innovation in photonics through PhotonHub Europe

ICFO is an active partner of PhotonHub Europe (www.photonhub.eu), a pan-European photonics innovation hub funded by EU's Horizon 2020 program, which helps European SMEs and mid-caps to increase competitiveness through an accelerated deployment of photonics-based technologies. PhotonHub’s sister program, ACTPHAST for Researchers (www.researcher.actphast.eu), is specifically designed to providing access for photonics and non-photonics researchers to the advanced photonics technology platforms in order to demonstrate conceptual breakthroughs with industrially-relevant equipment.

Photonics is the technology of light and a key digital technology for businesses to innovate. It can create new solutions and open up exciting new market opportunities for growth in the field of Climate & Energy (https://www.photonhub.eu/applications/energy) particularly in solar harvesting technologies, for instance:

- Photovoltaics - Light sensing - Solar fuels & chemicals - Temperature/strain sensors - Thermo-photovoltaics

- Thin film scribing - Photoelectrochemistry - Laser manufacturing - In-operando monitoring - Laser-enabled sensing

- Light engineering films - Chemical sensing (H2, CO2)

PhotonHub and ACTPHAST4R act as one-stop-shop matchmakers between companies/researchers and the photonics EU ecosystem (from RTO’s, training centres and industry across), giving you tailored expert orienteering about the successful implementation of the photonics innovation you require across eight technology platforms*, offering a range of free-of-charge services (www.photonhub.eu/our-services):

- Training & Reskilling - Investor Matchmaking - Business Coaching

- Local support - Subsidized prototyping, upscaling & manufacturing**

Examples of the support models (prototyping, upscaling) and the subsidy intensity (SME or large company) can be found in our downloadable leaflet (www.photonhub.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/PhotonHub-Trifold-1.pdf):

If you are a European company looking for innovation support, don’t hesitate to apply at www.photonhub.eu/application-form.

If you are a European researcher, please apply at www.researcher.actphast.eu/en/register-your-interest-as-researcher.

*PhotonHub’s counts with 8 technology platforms covering the full supply chain from design, mastering, prototyping, characterization, replication, assembling and packaging (www.photonhub.eu/platforms):

1. Free-Space Photonic Components and Systems

2. Glass and Polymer Specialty Fibres and Fibre devices

3. Polymer-based photonics and large-area organic-photonics

4. MOEMS and Hybrid Photonics Systems

5. Silicon-based photonic integrated circuits

6. InP-based Photonic Integrated Circuits

7. Silicon Nitride waveguide technology

8. Laser-based Manufacturing

**Subsidies examples:

1. Prototype (TRL 3-4) projects for SMEs:

- 50k€ project: 45 k€ subsidy + 5 k€ cash contribution

- 125k€ project: 100 k€ subsidy + 25 k€ cash contribution

For large-scale companies:

- Max. 200k€ project: 100 k€ subsidy + 100 k€ cash contribution

2. Up-scaling (TRL 5-6) projects for early adopters and first user SMEs (only EU-based):

- Max. 500k€ project: 250 k€ subsidy + 250 k€ cash contribution by SME