Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains (IA) (Photonics Partnership)

The scope of this topic focuses on the advancement and application of photonic sensor technologies and their integration into multimodal systems. Proposals are expected to address the development of sensor technologies and their validation through trials in realistic use cases. This includes exploring multi-modal sensor capabilities, as well as employing sensor fusion and machine learning approaches for the analysis of sensor data. Techniques should address at least two different technology approaches, i.e. sensor modalities, of which at least one must be photonic from the following areas:

• 3D sensing and imaging such as LIDAR, optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical tomography, interferometry, photoacoustics, etc.
• Communication fiber sensing
• Chemical and gas sensing   
• Bio- and medical sensing and/or imaging  
• Particle sensing   
• Integrated photonic solutions

In addition, the proposals could focus on developing and integrating algorithms designed to enhance the processing capabilities and decision-making accuracy of photonic sensors. These algorithms may help to optimize the interpretation of complex sensor data, enable real-time analytics, ambient intelligence and adaptive responses in dynamic environments.

Furthermore, projects should aim to provide significant improvements in one or more of the application domains listed below and to demonstrate these in at least three use case scenarios. Demonstrators would be expected to reach TRL 4-5 while the photonic techniques would be developed up to TRL 7.

This expectation underlines the call's objective to foster innovations that have a substantial and beneficial impact on society and various industry sectors:

• Healthcare (medical diagnostics, disinfection, treatment through improved imaging techniques and diagnostic accuracy).
• Transportation Safety (enhanced safety features in automotive and aerospace industries through better sensing capabilities).
• Industrial efficiency and sustainability (industrial processes such as manufacturing, quality control, increasing precision and automation through improved sensing technologies).
• Agricultural/Food Sector (precision agriculture, food safety, food waste reduction and supply chain management through improved sensing techniques for monitoring crop health, detecting contaminants, and optimizing production processes and raw material utilisation).
• Environmental Monitoring and sustainable energy (pollution monitoring, climate research, renewable energy infrastructure and natural disaster mitigation).
• Security, safety and resilience of people and critical infrastructure (face identification, long distance observation by day and night, (infra-)structural health monitoring, chemical and gas sensing, explosive detection)
• Protection and efficient operation of optical communications, risk management of data transport and processing including increased resilience to cyber security.

Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business scenario and exploitation strategy.

Research must build on existing standards or contribute to standardisation. Where relevant, interoperability for data sharing should be addressed.

All projects should build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives, funding programmes and platforms, in particular the Digital Europe Programme (DEP).