Photonic Strategies and Skills Development (CSA) (Photonics Partnership)

Topic description

ExpectedOutcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to at least one of the following outcomes:

• Reinforced value chains and deployment of photonics technologies by stronger cooperation of photonics stakeholders, clusters and end-users;
• Increased competitiveness of the European photonics sector and improved access to finance for the photonics sector in Europe;
• More and better prepared professionals in the photonics sector.

Two types of proposals are expected.

Type 1: Supporting the industrial strategy for photonics in Europe (EU contribution around 3 million EUR). The objective is to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive industrial strategy for photonics in Europe. The action should include the development of strategic technology road-maps, strong stakeholder engagement (in particular Photonics21 stakeholders, National Technology Platforms, regional Clusters, end-user industries), coordination of regional, national and European strategies and priorities, fostering collaboration with other European Partnerships to identify synergies and fields of common interest, and fostering strategic collaboration with financial institutions to improve financing conditions for Photonics industry, e.g. loans for growth financing, Venture Capital.

Type 2: Fostering careers in photonics (EU contribution around 1 million EUR). The objective is to reach out to STEM graduates/PhD students and young postdocs in order to encourage more of them to pursue a career in photonics. Actions should help make students more industry ready and should provide the appropriate training, encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Action should seek synergies with the skills development activities called for in the Digital Europe programme and with the activities on strategy development called for under type 1.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership Photonics.