Who can apply

ACTPHAST4R is a special design for:

• providing one-stop-shop access to advanced photonics technologies for researchers working within higher education and dedicated research institutes in Europe (researchers working in industry are already catered for by ACTPHAST4.0);
• providing one-stop-shop access to advanced photonics technologies for researchers anywhere in Europe to facilitate increased transnational collaboration;
• providing access for both photonics and “non-photonics” researchers since many early stage conceptual breakthroughs of new applications are cross-KET and this cross-fertilisation of photonics with other key enabling technologies is a central component of innovation in the new digital economy;
• providing access for researchers, whose conceptual breakthroughs are proven, to the advanced photonics technology platforms of ACTPHAST4.0 in order to demonstrate their conceptual breakthroughs with industrially-relevant equipment;
• providing researchers with more than just access to the advanced photonics technologies, by ensuring that the access comes bundled together with a range of supporting services necessary for the successful deployment of the technologies, in particular:
  • Internship for researchers at one or more of the ACTPHAST4R Partner Centres of Excellence for the relevant photonics technology platforms to facilitate more intense in-person training and to stimulate higher and more effective levels of knowledge transfer;
  • Hands-on working by the researchers themselves with the technology platform and the advanced photonics technologies to facilitate enhanced “learning by doing” for increased technical skills and competence as well as knowledge;
  • Intensive demonstration projects between the researchers (in particular non-photonics researchers) and the ACTPHAST4R Partners. Here the researchers will be guided by senior experienced ACTPHAST4R photonics experts in the relevant technology platforms, to successfully build and deliver demonstrators (to TRL4-5) for the researchers’ breakthrough concepts;
  • Parallel deployment coaching by experienced ACTPHAST4R business development experts on the key principles of technology entrepreneurship and valorisation (business/entrepreneurial coaching) in particular covering the key principles of the Investment Readiness Levels (IRL) of new technologies and market-oriented applications aligned to TRL advancement to help create an improved mindset for accelerated deployment of the photonics technologies.