Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PhotonQBoost (Photonics and Quantum Technologies for Sustainable Industry)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-12-01 do 2025-11-30
Europe’s information and communication technologies face increasing challenges related to growing data volumes, energy efficiency, and the demand for secure, low-latency operation. While photonic and quantum technologies offer transformative potential, their uptake by industry, particularly by SMEs, is still limited by fragmentation, system complexity, and difficulties in translating technological advances into market-ready solutions. This creates a gap between technological potential and real-world impact.
In this context, PhotonQBoost provides targeted support to European SMEs to enable the adoption and integration of photonic and quantum solutions that address these challenges. By facilitating access to expertise, technologies, and innovation support, the project helps SMEs develop more sustainable, resilient, and high-performance products and services. PhotonQBoost thereby contributes to strengthening the innovation capacity and global competitiveness of European SMEs, accelerating industrial uptake of key digital technologies, and supporting Europe’s objectives in terms of sustainability, resilience, and open strategic autonomy. This will be done through a comprehensive pipeline of services, comprising advisory-driven innovation support, technology support and sustainability transition activities, complemented by piloting-driven projects funded under three FSTP open calls. These SMEs will achieve improved KPIs in terms of resource consumption, enhanced productivity and derisked supply chain disruptions. The initiative is also dedicated to fostering cross-fertilization across countries and ecosystems, through matchmaking activities and delegation visits, thereby facilitating market access for SMEs and bridging gaps in knowledge, networks and infrastructure. PhotonQBoost aims to support the consolidation of an EU-wide Photonics and Quantum technological innovation ecosystem, ultimately contributing to Europe’s global leadership in these fields and to securing its strategic autonomy in critical technologies.
In this context, PhotonQBoost provides targeted support to European SMEs to enable the adoption and integration of photonic and quantum solutions that address these challenges. By facilitating access to expertise, technologies, and innovation support, the project helps SMEs develop more sustainable, resilient, and high-performance products and services. PhotonQBoost thereby contributes to strengthening the innovation capacity and global competitiveness of European SMEs, accelerating industrial uptake of key digital technologies, and supporting Europe’s objectives in terms of sustainability, resilience, and open strategic autonomy. This will be done through a comprehensive pipeline of services, comprising advisory-driven innovation support, technology support and sustainability transition activities, complemented by piloting-driven projects funded under three FSTP open calls. These SMEs will achieve improved KPIs in terms of resource consumption, enhanced productivity and derisked supply chain disruptions. The initiative is also dedicated to fostering cross-fertilization across countries and ecosystems, through matchmaking activities and delegation visits, thereby facilitating market access for SMEs and bridging gaps in knowledge, networks and infrastructure. PhotonQBoost aims to support the consolidation of an EU-wide Photonics and Quantum technological innovation ecosystem, ultimately contributing to Europe’s global leadership in these fields and to securing its strategic autonomy in critical technologies.
During the first period, PhotonQBoost has made substantial progress towards its overall goal of enabling European industries, especially SMEs, to achieve sustainability, resilience, and global competitiveness by adopting Photonics and Quantum technologies. The project focused on establishing the structural, organisational, and collaborative foundations required to support the uptake of Photonics and Quantum technologies by EU SMEs.
Under WP1, a needs analysis assessment allowed the identification of the main needs and solutions and Photonics and quantum solutions were identified for 5 sectors: agrifood, life sciences & health, manufacturing, mobility and digital technologies. Also, different international technology working groups were delivered in the same areas to discuss services and challenges concerning sustainability changes. Moreover, focus groups for sustainability and social innovation were also delivered to further diagnose competence needs. Based on these findings, a catalogue for solutions and use cases were developed to demonstrate photonics and quantum technologies applications for sustainability and resilience.
Under WP2, the service pipeline was settled and the provision of advisory services was put in place. For that, an onboarding from (converging the fuctions as onboarding form and needs analysis survey for WP1) was shared with SMEs from the cluster's networks and also via the project's communication channels to collect interest for the advisory services. A "train the trainers" webinar was delivered to provide guidelines to KAMs on their role. A CRM was created in HubSpot to collect onboarding information of the companies. A Business Advisory Guidebook was also developed, with descriptions on the services being offered.
Under WP3, the design of the calls was smoothly developed and it was possible to launch two open calls still in period 1. The first, delegation visit to Poland, was fully delivered, allowing for cross-fertilization opportunities; the second, call for solutions, delegation visits and trainings and services, was launched in November and will be delivered in the second period.
In the project's first quarter, these steps set the ground for the project’s development, ensuring the achievement of longer-term objectives related to technology adoption, sustainability-oriented applications and SME competitiveness, while already delivering some initial result-driven KPIs.
Under WP1, a needs analysis assessment allowed the identification of the main needs and solutions and Photonics and quantum solutions were identified for 5 sectors: agrifood, life sciences & health, manufacturing, mobility and digital technologies. Also, different international technology working groups were delivered in the same areas to discuss services and challenges concerning sustainability changes. Moreover, focus groups for sustainability and social innovation were also delivered to further diagnose competence needs. Based on these findings, a catalogue for solutions and use cases were developed to demonstrate photonics and quantum technologies applications for sustainability and resilience.
Under WP2, the service pipeline was settled and the provision of advisory services was put in place. For that, an onboarding from (converging the fuctions as onboarding form and needs analysis survey for WP1) was shared with SMEs from the cluster's networks and also via the project's communication channels to collect interest for the advisory services. A "train the trainers" webinar was delivered to provide guidelines to KAMs on their role. A CRM was created in HubSpot to collect onboarding information of the companies. A Business Advisory Guidebook was also developed, with descriptions on the services being offered.
Under WP3, the design of the calls was smoothly developed and it was possible to launch two open calls still in period 1. The first, delegation visit to Poland, was fully delivered, allowing for cross-fertilization opportunities; the second, call for solutions, delegation visits and trainings and services, was launched in November and will be delivered in the second period.
In the project's first quarter, these steps set the ground for the project’s development, ensuring the achievement of longer-term objectives related to technology adoption, sustainability-oriented applications and SME competitiveness, while already delivering some initial result-driven KPIs.
Under WP1, 34 stakeholders participated in the international technology working groups, 58 SMEs have replied to the needs analysis survey, 24 quadruple helix stakeholders were interviewed and a group of 44 stakeholders participated in the focus groups for sustainability and social innovation. With the inputs received from these activities, a catalogue with 44 photonics and quantum solutions for sustainabilility and resilience was developed focusing on the areas of agrifood, life sciences and health, manufacturing, mobility and digital technologies. 12 application use cases were developed demonstrating photonics and quantum technologies applications.
Under WP2, the Advisory Services Pipeline (ASP) was settled and 58 expressions of interest to join the services were integrated into the ASP. From these, 51 were eligible and contacted for an onboarding meeting. 30 onboarding meetings took place and 16 SMEs received services.
Under WP3, the calls were designed and their launch was anticipated. The 1st open call had 24 applications out of which 14 were eligible. Half of them withdrew or ceased to respond, so a total of 7 SMEs were funded. 27 organisations attended the delegation visit, from which 8 from academia and RTOs, 7 non-funded SMEs, and 5 consortium representatives. The 2nd open call was launched in the end of the first period (closing in the second period, with 174 applications received). In total, 4.270,00€ were awarded in the form of travels grants to FSTP beneficiaries.
Under WP2, the Advisory Services Pipeline (ASP) was settled and 58 expressions of interest to join the services were integrated into the ASP. From these, 51 were eligible and contacted for an onboarding meeting. 30 onboarding meetings took place and 16 SMEs received services.
Under WP3, the calls were designed and their launch was anticipated. The 1st open call had 24 applications out of which 14 were eligible. Half of them withdrew or ceased to respond, so a total of 7 SMEs were funded. 27 organisations attended the delegation visit, from which 8 from academia and RTOs, 7 non-funded SMEs, and 5 consortium representatives. The 2nd open call was launched in the end of the first period (closing in the second period, with 174 applications received). In total, 4.270,00€ were awarded in the form of travels grants to FSTP beneficiaries.