European UnionDeadline PassedNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains (IA) (Photonics Partnership)
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01
Funding Amount
€4.0M - €6.0M
Deadline
02/10/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Trusted by
What is the Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains (IA) (Photonics Partnership) Call?
Grant Description
This call supports research and innovation on advanced photonic sensor technologies integrated into multimodal systems. Projects should improve sensor efficiency, size, weight, performance and cost, validated in realistic use cases across domains such as healthcare, transport, industry, agriculture, environment, security and communications. Demonstrators must reach technology readiness levels four to five and photonic techniques up to level seven. The call addresses EU goals on open strategic au...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Funded projects will:
• Create photonic sensor solutions that surpass current technologies in energy efficiency, data acquisition/processing speed and measurement accuracy.
• Achieve significant reductions in sensor size, weight and footprint, quantified against existing benchmarks.
• Enhance intrinsic and extrinsic performance metrics across at least three validated use-case scenarios.
• Extend sensing and testing capabilities by integrating optical and non-optical measurement parameters (e.g. acoustic or electromagnetic sensing).
• Lower manufacturing costs, boost resource efficiency, reliability and durability of sensor systems.
• Strengthen Europe’s open strategic autonomy by retaining key IP and production within the EU, reducing dependencies.
• Enhance international competitiveness through accelerated uptake and translation of photonic technologies into new products and services.
• Advance the EU twin digital-green transition by delivering energy-efficient, resilient digital infrastructures; enabling access to high-quality environmental data; supporting privacy, data integrity and a fair data economy; and promoting eco-friendly system operations.
• Contribute to European policy objectives on technological sovereignty, digital transformation, environmental monitoring and sustainable societal impact.
• Create photonic sensor solutions that surpass current technologies in energy efficiency, data acquisition/processing speed and measurement accuracy.
• Achieve significant reductions in sensor size, weight and footprint, quantified against existing benchmarks.
• Enhance intrinsic and extrinsic performance metrics across at least three validated use-case scenarios.
• Extend sensing and testing capabilities by integrating optical and non-optical measurement parameters (e.g. acoustic or electromagnetic sensing).
• Lower manufacturing costs, boost resource efficiency, reliability and durability of sensor systems.
• Strengthen Europe’s open strategic autonomy by retaining key IP and production within the EU, reducing dependencies.
• Enhance international competitiveness through accelerated uptake and translation of photonic technologies into new products and services.
• Advance the EU twin digital-green transition by delivering energy-efficient, resilient digital infrastructures; enabling access to high-quality environmental data; supporting privacy, data integrity and a fair data economy; and promoting eco-friendly system operations.
• Contribute to European policy objectives on technological sovereignty, digital transformation, environmental monitoring and sustainable societal impact.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• Develop and validate photonic sensor technologies in at least two distinct sensor modalities, of which one is photonic, chosen from: 3D sensing and imaging (e.g. LiDAR, OCT, interferometry, photoacoustics), fibre-optic communication sensing, chemical/gas sensing, bio/medical sensing or imaging, particle sensing, integrated photonic solutions.
• Employ sensor fusion and machine learning/data analytics to optimize interpretation of complex datasets, enable real-time processing and adaptive system behaviour.
• Target demonstrators at TRL 4–5 and push photonic techniques to TRL 7.
• Deliver measurable performance improvements in one or more application domains (healthcare, transport safety, industrial efficiency & sustainability, agriculture/food, environmental monitoring & sustainable energy, security & resilience, optical communications), and demonstrate impact in at least three realistic use-case scenarios.
• Include a clear business model and exploitation strategy.
• Build on or contribute to existing standards, address interoperability for data sharing.
• Establish collaboration with ongoing projects and align with Digital Europe Programme initiatives.
• Develop and validate photonic sensor technologies in at least two distinct sensor modalities, of which one is photonic, chosen from: 3D sensing and imaging (e.g. LiDAR, OCT, interferometry, photoacoustics), fibre-optic communication sensing, chemical/gas sensing, bio/medical sensing or imaging, particle sensing, integrated photonic solutions.
• Employ sensor fusion and machine learning/data analytics to optimize interpretation of complex datasets, enable real-time processing and adaptive system behaviour.
• Target demonstrators at TRL 4–5 and push photonic techniques to TRL 7.
• Deliver measurable performance improvements in one or more application domains (healthcare, transport safety, industrial efficiency & sustainability, agriculture/food, environmental monitoring & sustainable energy, security & resilience, optical communications), and demonstrate impact in at least three realistic use-case scenarios.
• Include a clear business model and exploitation strategy.
• Build on or contribute to existing standards, address interoperability for data sharing.
• Establish collaboration with ongoing projects and align with Digital Europe Programme initiatives.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Admissibility: comply with page limits and layout (Work Programme Annexes A & E).
• Eligibility: participants from eligible EU and associated countries (Annex B).
• Network protection: restrictions apply to European communication networks.
• Financial/operational capacity and exclusion: per Annex C.
• Evaluation and award: criteria, scoring, thresholds (Annex D); processes and timelines (Annex F).
• Grants’ legal/financial setup: Annex G and specific topic conditions.
• Submission: single-stage, opening 10 June 2025, deadline 2 October 2025 17:00 Brussels time; use IA budget-based MGA and corresponding application forms/templates.
• Projects must address open strategic autonomy by retaining IP and production within the EU, and contribute to international competitiveness and technology uptake.
• Must refer to Destination 4 (“Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies”) descriptions and expected impacts from the 2025 Work Programme.
• Eligibility: participants from eligible EU and associated countries (Annex B).
• Network protection: restrictions apply to European communication networks.
• Financial/operational capacity and exclusion: per Annex C.
• Evaluation and award: criteria, scoring, thresholds (Annex D); processes and timelines (Annex F).
• Grants’ legal/financial setup: Annex G and specific topic conditions.
• Submission: single-stage, opening 10 June 2025, deadline 2 October 2025 17:00 Brussels time; use IA budget-based MGA and corresponding application forms/templates.
• Projects must address open strategic autonomy by retaining IP and production within the EU, and contribute to international competitiveness and technology uptake.
• Must refer to Destination 4 (“Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies”) descriptions and expected impacts from the 2025 Work Programme.
Important dates
Open from: 10/06/2025
Deadline:02/10/2025
Application period has ended
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