During the project, key features and technical specifications of the technology have been identified and a process for their verification has been developed, adopting industry standards. Four different sets of technical requirements have been addressed by analysing different end-customer needs and application cases. Additionally, multiple prototypes have been developed to address the different needs and applications that the technology could serve. This include the lens-free LIM with a large field of view, compact and robust; the standalone LIM that includes imaging lenses and accepts a wide variety of commercial magnification objectives to allow high spatial resolution; and the add-on LIM that fits into standard optical microscope and is the most compatible and affordable solution.
Some of the prototypes were developed with several hardware and software improvements implemented based on initial market feedback have been tested with different end-customers and samples, including a long-period leasing and testing at an industrial end-customer’s premises. In this context, some of the improvements included new software to store data and overcome phase-wrapping difficulties as well as new algorithms to reduce phase imaging defects observed during the testing periods.
With the goal of commercially exploiting the results, a detailed market and competitor analysis of the different technologies and companies in the fields relevant for the technology have been performed, highlighting the potential market opportunities and key competitive advantages. In particular, the global microscopy market was analysed in terms of size, key players, final applications, regional segmentation and global trends. In terms of the competitor analysis, multiple phase-imaging solution providers have been identified and their solutions have been technically analysed to identify key competitive advantages of the proposed solution.
A systematic intellectual property position review and landscape assessment has also been performed in preparation of a new invention disclosure. In particular, this review has required the analysis of up to 40 potentially relevant documents including peer-reviewed scientific articles and patents. On top of that, the main building blocks of the proposed business model to commercialize the manufacture and distribution of the phase imaging devices has been completed.
In terms of dissemination, the project has been presented to multiple end-users across different research centres, leading microscopy corporations and small or medium enterprises. We have been in contact with more than 70 end-customer during 2021, with the most relevant interactions taking place since October 2021. The team has engaged and participated in two international industry-focused conferences and the innovative and potential impact of the project has been recognized with a first prize in one of the conferences. Additionally, the project has been disseminated across different webpage publications, social networks and in a podcast.
