Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PhotonicSensing (Photonics based sensing)
Reporting period: 2017-12-01 to 2022-08-31
The Photonics based sensing ERA-NET Cofund brought together nine national and regional organisations owning and / or managing major research and innovation programmes throughout Europe. As a cross-sectional technology, photonics serves many application segments. PhotonicSensing's focus was on developing and implementing photonics based sensing technologies with the aim to further improve the European market share in this domain. Already existing photonics sensing technology should be further developed, refined and combined to the stage of pre-commercial demonstrators, which should easily be convertible to commercial products.
In terms of the technology systems that were covered by the funded RTD projects, they mainly focused on the development or enhancement of various sensors and their integration and implementation into new devices and products. This was strongly motivated by the selected application areas: Especially in projects with health (medical) and environmental applications measuring and monitoring activities are core element for treatments or detections. In addition, some projects enhanced imaging systems as well as different laser technologies that are used for acquiring information and for manufacturing processes.
Main activities and objectives at the beginning of the action were:
•To carry out one joint transnational call;
•To pool resources and to provide critical mass for transnational research and innovation projects;
•To address application areas with a technology of highest priority and European added value;
•To mobilise more than 10 MEUR of public funding (national and EC funding), and, together with the resources provided by the private industry sector, a total of more than 15 MEUR;
•To select and fund transnational projects where major progress can be achieved in technology development for subsequently successful commercialisation;
•To maintain and enhance coordination, coherence and networking between national programmes and thereby
•To contribute to increase the health and well-being of the European citizens as well as to improve the global market share of the European photonics industry in this domain.
In terms of the technology systems that were covered by the funded RTD projects, they mainly focused on the development or enhancement of various sensors and their integration and implementation into new devices and products. This was strongly motivated by the selected application areas: Especially in projects with health (medical) and environmental applications measuring and monitoring activities are core element for treatments or detections. In addition, some projects enhanced imaging systems as well as different laser technologies that are used for acquiring information and for manufacturing processes.
Main activities and objectives at the beginning of the action were:
•To carry out one joint transnational call;
•To pool resources and to provide critical mass for transnational research and innovation projects;
•To address application areas with a technology of highest priority and European added value;
•To mobilise more than 10 MEUR of public funding (national and EC funding), and, together with the resources provided by the private industry sector, a total of more than 15 MEUR;
•To select and fund transnational projects where major progress can be achieved in technology development for subsequently successful commercialisation;
•To maintain and enhance coordination, coherence and networking between national programmes and thereby
•To contribute to increase the health and well-being of the European citizens as well as to improve the global market share of the European photonics industry in this domain.
The main objective of PhotonicSensing was to prepare, launch, implement and follow up a single joint transnational call for project proposals which contribute to the fast development and implementation of photonics based sensing technologies and therefore further improves the European market share in this domain.
PhotonicSensing supported photonics based technologies with a high impact on the human life in the following five application areas:
• Safety including food safety
• Civil security
• Manufacturing / production
• Environmental monitoring
• Medical applications
A total of 12 highly innovative transnational projects could be supported. Overall, the PhotonicSensing ERA-NET Cofund can be considered a success story: We succeeded in mobilising more than 11 million Euros of public funding with a total project volume of around 20 million Euros.
The projects clustered to application areas Safety/Security and Production focussed on new technology developments in detecting, imaging and identifying objects. Both projects realised this by designing and developing prototypes and sensor technology with low maturity (2-3) at the beginning of the projects are taken to higher TRL 5+ through the successful development achieved within the duration of the project.
The projects of application area Environment focussed on the development of various optical, bio and gas sensor technologies, integrated into prototypes and systems for detecting and measuring obstacles under water or trace gas molecules. In these cases sensors and lasers were either non-existent or had to be significantly improved (wavelengths, thermal management, noise level). Thanks to the progress made in the projects, higher TRLs were achieved.
Projects dealing with medical applications were bundled into Health. They mainly focused on providing and/or improving photonic based technology (IR, X-ray, Multi-parametric molecular imaging (MMI), bottle micro-resonators (BMRs) etc.) for diagnostic or monitoring applications within the health sector. Starting from low TRLs and non-existent methods, limited efficiencies of photonic crystals, limit of detection (LoD) of sepsis biomarkers, projects could realise new concepts, enhance limits and reach TRLs up to 5-6 or even 8-9.
PhotonicSensing supported photonics based technologies with a high impact on the human life in the following five application areas:
• Safety including food safety
• Civil security
• Manufacturing / production
• Environmental monitoring
• Medical applications
A total of 12 highly innovative transnational projects could be supported. Overall, the PhotonicSensing ERA-NET Cofund can be considered a success story: We succeeded in mobilising more than 11 million Euros of public funding with a total project volume of around 20 million Euros.
The projects clustered to application areas Safety/Security and Production focussed on new technology developments in detecting, imaging and identifying objects. Both projects realised this by designing and developing prototypes and sensor technology with low maturity (2-3) at the beginning of the projects are taken to higher TRL 5+ through the successful development achieved within the duration of the project.
The projects of application area Environment focussed on the development of various optical, bio and gas sensor technologies, integrated into prototypes and systems for detecting and measuring obstacles under water or trace gas molecules. In these cases sensors and lasers were either non-existent or had to be significantly improved (wavelengths, thermal management, noise level). Thanks to the progress made in the projects, higher TRLs were achieved.
Projects dealing with medical applications were bundled into Health. They mainly focused on providing and/or improving photonic based technology (IR, X-ray, Multi-parametric molecular imaging (MMI), bottle micro-resonators (BMRs) etc.) for diagnostic or monitoring applications within the health sector. Starting from low TRLs and non-existent methods, limited efficiencies of photonic crystals, limit of detection (LoD) of sepsis biomarkers, projects could realise new concepts, enhance limits and reach TRLs up to 5-6 or even 8-9.
PhotonicSensing ERA-NET Cofund has funded R&D projects covering different parts of the value chain within the application areas, of which most cases address health applications: This ranges from the introduction of new methods to the improvements and development of new sensors and data models, to the performance enhancements of measurement instruments, to the implementation in platforms and prototypes.
Large efforts have been dedicated to the development of new sensor technologies like optical sensors, pressure sensors, biosensors, trace gas sensors or mobile sensor nodes. Efficiency rates e.g. of light extraction with photonic crystals has been improved and detection limits have been enhanced.
The overall impact of the funded projects has been tremendously positive. Although not all objectives have been met 100% or up to the planned TRL level, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons, the technology readiness levels (TRL) were risen from a lab state to functional systems and prototype demonstrations in operational, real-world environments, bringing emerging technologies to the gates of industrialization and commercialization.
Overall, the projects have not only enriched the know-how of all beneficiaries, but also contributed to a further step towards strengthening the European photonics market and, more importantly, improving our lives in Europe. Further and new cooperation programs are needed to address the challenges in the areas of climate, health, safety and manufacturing processes and to exploit the enormous opportunities offered by photonics.
Large efforts have been dedicated to the development of new sensor technologies like optical sensors, pressure sensors, biosensors, trace gas sensors or mobile sensor nodes. Efficiency rates e.g. of light extraction with photonic crystals has been improved and detection limits have been enhanced.
The overall impact of the funded projects has been tremendously positive. Although not all objectives have been met 100% or up to the planned TRL level, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons, the technology readiness levels (TRL) were risen from a lab state to functional systems and prototype demonstrations in operational, real-world environments, bringing emerging technologies to the gates of industrialization and commercialization.
Overall, the projects have not only enriched the know-how of all beneficiaries, but also contributed to a further step towards strengthening the European photonics market and, more importantly, improving our lives in Europe. Further and new cooperation programs are needed to address the challenges in the areas of climate, health, safety and manufacturing processes and to exploit the enormous opportunities offered by photonics.