secpho has been working as part of an EU-wide project called EPRISE: Empowering Photonics through Regional Innovation Strategies in Europe. EPRISE was funded by the EU’s flagship Horizon2020 programme and was formed of a consortium of nine European photonics clusters, all aiming to support small and medium sized photonics companies (SMEs) operating in the medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, agriculture or food markets. The 30 month long project, which finished at the end of June 2019, focussed on removing barriers to commercialisation for photonics SMEs in the four above-mentioned market sectors in which Europe is a market leader.
We are pleased to share some of the project outcomes with you:
SMEs developing photonics-based products or processes for the life sciences markets face highly specific market entry challenges, such as complex regulatory environments and long timescales to market adoption. The aim of the EPRISE project has been to support companies operating in the medtech, pharma, agriculture and food markets to overcome these commercialisation challenges. An effective way of providing support to these community of SMEs is through facilitating advice from photonics and market experts and introducing them to development partners or potential end users across Europe.
As an outcome, SMEs can now take advantage of two online databases created by the project which are freely available online resources. The companies database maps and lists photonics companies, photonics-related academic groups and clusters focussed on the four market sectors of interest and is a great resource to use to find collaboration partners or to identify potential competitors. Meanwhile, the database of experts can be used to get specific advice from people from around Europe who are very knowledgeable about either the market sector, or about business-related challenges or about photonics technology.
Project Coordinator Cecilia Pinto said, “We are delighted to be able to offer these comprehensive online resources which represent a significant piece of research on the European photonics markets. We hope that they prove to be valuable to companies that use them and that they ultimately lead to an increase in business collaborations across Europe.”
Moreover, SMEs using photonics technology can benefit from the Go-To-Market and Opportunities Booklet, another outcome of the EPRISE project and the European Photonics Roadshow series. You can download the booklet here.
The booklet provides an overview of the opportunities for photonics technology, as well as a compilation of advice, tips and best practice captured from expert speakers from the Photonics Roadshow series, to support companies in overcoming these challenges and to enhance their business skills. A case study per market is also included as an example of challenges commonly faced by companies.
It will also be of interest to integrators and end-users who can learn about the potential of photonics based technology in their sector. Policy-makers can use the booklet to discover the economic benefits and societal impact of photonics and the potential that this key enabling technology can play in their region.
