SENSE is a Horizon 2020 Coordination and Support Action aiming to coordinate research and development efforts in academia and industry in low light-level sensoring.
A coordination of European research groups concerned with low light-level sensors is currently missing. By formulating a roadmap incorporating all R&D activities necessary for the development of the ultimate low light-level sensors, the R&D efforts of European research groups, industry, and strategic partners worldwide will be efficiently aligned. This coordination shall reduce the redundancy of the efforts. The competition between groups shall be stimulated in those cases where developments can be made faster.
==> Different actors from industry and science were brought together during the TechForum.
The project aims at joining forces of European experts in developing the ultimate low light-level sensors and taking the leadership in these R&D activities. Following new and emerging technologies in detecting minimal quantities of light (single photons) is a challenge. However, the close cooperation between industry and academia in several research disciplines is defining an ideal partnership for developing substantially improved low light-level sensors that find immediate application in research projects and in commercial products.
==> An experts group was set up and together with these experts a European roadmap towards the ultimate LLL sensor was established.
Given that many applications are in medical diagnostic instrumentation, the substantial improvement in low light-level sensor technology will have a clear positive societal impact when radiation doses for patients can be significantly reduced. The innovation potential is enormous when it comes to a replacement of PMTs by the new SiPM technology. PET scanners could then be integrated in MRIs and allow studying structure and functional activity in vivo, which is important for cancer research, Alzheimer studies as well as drug tests. With current state-of-the-art technology such a combined diagnostic cannot be realized. Miniaturization and cheaper mass production of low light-level sensors will definitely lead to a wealth of innovative products on the long-term.
==> The Roadmap describes the R&D activities and recommendations that the SENSE project has defined for realizing the ultimate low light-level (LLL) sensor(s).
SENSE aims at attracting and supporting young researchers to get involved in forefront technology developments. This shall be realized by well-defined technology sessions at diverse summer schools. Videos, podcasts, tutorials, FAQs and other training material shall be disseminated via the internet exchange platform developed during the project.
==> An education & outreach section on the SENSE Website allows to get informed on different levels and with different formats on photosensor technologies. The SENSE Detector School in 2019, which aimed to inform about the forefront developments on low light-level detectors, brought together students and experts and attracted young researchers from Europe and other countries.
Altogether, SENSE is well embedded and linked to all other relevant initiatives and the affiliation to APPEC shall ensure that all stakeholders from academia and industry participate in the project.
