ACTPHAST 4.0 – Access Center for Photonics Innovation Solutions and Technology Support 4.0

The project is carried out at the Warsaw University of Technology by optical and photonic groups from the Faculty of Mechatronics (Inst. of Micromechanics and Photonics) and Electronics and Information Technology (Inst. of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics), which for many years have been cooperating with leading research centres in Europe and worldwide to promote photonic solutions and their commercialisation.

ACTPHAST 4.0 is an international project focused on supporting the SME sector, mainly in Europe. The support aims to provide companies with access to the technology and know-how of 24 photonics research institutions in Europe.

Companies request access to selected technologies and/or knowledge in the field of photonics for use in the development and implementation of innovations in their products. The financial support offered in the project is intended to cover the costs of R&D work of scientific entities.

ACTPHAST 4.0 ACTPHAST 4.0 is oriented towards the financing of rapid projects, with a lead time of 6-9 months, raising the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the submitted ideas from 2-4 to 5-6. Brief descriptions of the support already made available can be found at the link.

The project is implemented by an international consortium of 24 research centres coordinated by VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

 The expected outcome of ACTPHAST 4.0's innovation-supporting activities will be a significant increase in the revenue and the number of employees of companies, resulting from the ability to bring new products to market faster. The project focuses strongly on emerging markets, for which photonics is a key enabling technology. In addition, through extensive outreach activities, ACTPHAST 4.0 will ensure a higher level of awareness and understanding among European entrepreneurs about the technical and commercial potential of photonics, especially among first and "non-photonics" end-users.