Photonics Partnership Annual Meeting 2024: Discover four HaDEA-managed projects developing innovative photonics solutions

The Photonics Partnership Annual Meeting 2024 is taking place in Brussels on 14 and 15 May. This year’s event will focus on the future of photonics in Europe. HaDEA manages several projects funded under Horizon Europe ‘Digital’ that are bringing advancements in the field of photonics. 

PROMETHEUS

PROMETHEUS (PROgraMmable photonics Enabling ultra-fast spiking and quanTum nEUral networkS) is building a multi-purpose photonic integrated circuit that will offer a unified photonic processor. This multipurpose chip is the ideal platform to leverage emerging concepts such as spiking networks, reservoir computing, convolutional optical networks, and quantum neural networks. The end goal is to address two key industry-driven applications: high-speed image processing for biomedical/industrial applications (cytometry/laser scanning) and optical signal processing at the network’s edge. This platform will also unlock quantum random number generator (QRNG) modules and as a cyber-secure photonic physical unclonable function (PUF).

WINTHER

WINTHER is developing a next-generation Fast Raster Scan Optoacoustic Mesoscopy (F-RSOM) prototype that can evaluate endothelial function in order to assess the progression and therapy in skin conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. This new generation of RSOM will be capable of operating at speeds up to two orders of magnitude faster. Such improvements will allow the new system, fast RSOM (F-RSOM), to serve as a precision tool for therapy monitoring of inflammatory skin diseases and drive a paradigm shift in therapeutic monitoring of cardio-metabolic diseases.

PHOTONFOOD

PHOTONFOOD is developing two innovative photonic devices by combining innovations in paper-based sample treatment, mid-infrared sensing, and data analysis for on-site detection of chemical and microbial contaminants. This solution promises to enable testing in smaller batches throughout the food chain for daily monitoring, with the goal of significantly improving food quality while reducing waste throughout the European food industry.

PUNCH

PUNCH project is developing a new solution for optical switching that addresses several industrial requirements, including reliable and low latency communication with guaranteed service quality, less network congestion (and data loss or delay), lower power consumption and reduced cost of transmission interfaces. To do so, PUNCH will developing novel photonic components and corresponding interface electronics, establish scalable integration and photonics packaging processes, and manufacture different prototypes which will be demonstrated and validated in industrial 5G and data centre testbeds.

Background 

Horizon 2020 is the EU’s multiannual funding programme between 2014 and 2020. H2020 provided Research and Innovation (R&I) funding for multi-national collaboration projects alongside individual researchers and SMEs via special funding instruments. Horizon 2020 is succeeded by Horizon Europe Programme, which will run until 2027.