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Accelerate the uptake of lifecycle assessment (LCA) for Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) chemicals and materials and resulting products

PhotonHub's "Test-Before-Invest" service offers European companies, especially SMEs, a secure and cost-effective path to innovate using photonic technologies. The service focuses on minimizing the risks and costs associated with developing photonic-based products or processes by allowing companies to "test-before-invest," providing access to advanced photonics resources and expertise across Europe.

The "Test-Before-Invest" process comprises two main phases:

  1. Expert Scouting Support: Companies begin with personalized one-to-one guidance from over 350 top photonics experts. These experts help assess the company's unique innovation challenges, matching them to the most suitable photonics solutions across PhotonHub's extensive network. This scouting process is free and confidential, conducted under a Non-Disclosure Agreement to ensure secure collaboration.
  2. Deep Innovation Project Support: Once a company qualifies for PhotonHub's cross-border funding, they move to the innovation phase, developing a detailed project proposal with PhotonHub's experts. This phase covers the entire innovation lifecycle, from early prototyping and concept testing (TRL3-4) to upscaling (TRL5-6) and final manufacturing (TRL7-8). The goal is to bring ideas from initial design to market-ready solutions.

PhotonHub’s service ensures European companies, particularly those new to photonics, have access to the highest-quality resources without needing to bear the full financial risk of innovation. It facilitates access to a broad array of photonic technologies, from micro-optics and integrated circuits to advanced manufacturing, helping companies across sectors benefit from photonics without requiring major upfront investment.

This model not only promotes photonics adoption across industries but also strengthens Europe's competitive edge by providing tailored innovation support, subsidized projects, and access to Europe’s photonics manufacturing ecosystem.

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Expected Outcome

The expected outcomes of PhotonHub Europe’s "Test-Before-Invest" call include:

  1. Increased Photonics Adoption: The initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of photonic technologies among European SMEs, enabling them to innovate without bearing significant financial or technical risk. By providing access to high-quality photonics infrastructure and expertise, PhotonHub expects more companies to incorporate photonics into their products, processes, or services.
  2. Enhanced Product Innovation and Competitiveness: SMEs are expected to bring new or improved products to market more efficiently through photonic solutions. These innovations are likely to improve the functionality, quality, or efficiency of existing products or create entirely new offerings, thereby enhancing the competitive position of these companies in the global market.
  3. Accelerated Time-to-Market: By offering hands-on support through prototyping, scaling, and manufacturing phases, the call aims to shorten development cycles for photonics-enhanced products. This acceleration allows companies to bring their innovations to market faster, responding swiftly to market demands and opportunities.
  4. Strengthened Photonics Ecosystem in Europe: Through its cross-border support and collaboration network, PhotonHub seeks to foster a robust ecosystem for photonics innovation across Europe. This includes building stronger connections between photonics experts, research institutions, and industry partners, creating a more interconnected and supportive landscape for photonic advancements.
  5. Reduced Risk and Cost Barriers for SMEs: The initiative intends to minimize the financial and technical risks associated with adopting new photonic technologies. By providing partial funding and expert guidance, the call helps SMEs explore photonics without committing fully upfront, reducing entry barriers and encouraging more companies to take their first steps into this advanced technology space.
  6. Sustainable Economic Growth and Job Creation: By promoting photonics-based innovation and industrial growth, the program is expected to contribute to sustainable economic development across Europe. This includes potential job creation within the photonics sector and across related industries that benefit from photonic technologies, fostering a skilled workforce in a growing field.

In summary, the "Test-Before-Invest" call aims to drive widespread photonics adoption, enhance competitiveness, and build a collaborative, innovation-friendly environment for European SMEs, ultimately contributing to Europe’s position as a leader in photonics.

Scope

The "Test-Before-Invest" call by PhotonHub Europe targets European companies, particularly SMEs, who wish to explore and incorporate photonic technologies into their products, services, or processes. The scope of the call encompasses:

  1. Target Audience: European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are either new to photonic technology or need advanced support in this area. It’s particularly aimed at companies with innovative projects that could benefit from photonics, spanning various sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, energy, telecommunications, and more.
  2. Photonic Technology Applications: The program provides access to a wide range of photonic technologies, including:
    • Micro-optics and nano-photonics
    • Photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
    • Sensors and imaging
    • Lasers, optical systems, and spectroscopy
    • Advanced photonics manufacturing tools
  3. Stages of Innovation: The call supports projects through various innovation stages:
    • Early prototyping and initial testing (TRL3-4)
    • Scaling of prototypes to industrial levels (TRL5-6)
    • Preparation for manufacturing and commercialization (TRL7-8)
  4. Cross-border Support and Funding: Companies that qualify are eligible for cross-border innovation support, covering a part of the costs associated with photonic innovation and prototyping. The funding can subsidize extensive hands-on support from PhotonHub's network of experts and infrastructure, reducing the financial and technical risk for SMEs.
  5. Expected Outcomes: The call aims to facilitate the development of market-ready solutions by supporting SMEs in integrating photonics into their workflows and products. It is designed to enhance product innovation, improve competitive positioning, and enable faster time-to-market for photonic-enhanced products.

In essence, the call provides a structured pathway for companies to explore and invest in photonics with minimal risk, covering a broad spectrum of applications and supporting projects from ideation to production. Through this scope, PhotonHub seeks to drive photonics adoption, stimulate technological advancements, and foster industrial growth across Europe.

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