PhotonDelta launches engineering contest to drive photonic chip applications

Photonic chips industry accelerator PhotonDelta of Eindhoven, the Netherlands (which connects and collaborates with an ecosystem of photonic chip technology organizations worldwide) is launching a global engineering contest in collaboration with engineering community and knowledge platform Wevolver to stimulate the creation of new applications for photonic chips that tackle global challenges.

The contest is a global competition for innovative ideas for photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based solutions that address some of the most pressing societal and technical challenges, from combating climate change and advancing healthcare to addressing energy sustainability challenges. The competition invites engineers to use the characteristics of photonic ICs to revolutionize fields like healthcare, autonomous vehicles, AI and agriculture by enabling advanced sensors for earlier diagnostics, safer infrastructure, or more efficient food production. The ultimate goal of the contest is to discover future applications in segments that are yet to be invented.

The contest is backed by a €60m fund from PhotonDelta, set up to stimulate the creation of new startups and innovative applications in the PIC industry. By offering favorable loans to (pre-)seed companies, the fund supports entrepreneurs and researchers in turning their ideas into viable businesses. The initiative aims to foster innovation at the earliest stages, encouraging the development of new technologies and applications that can shape the future of the PIC ecosystem.

The winner will receive €50,000 worth of services to bring their idea to life as well as global exposure at an industry event. Also, participating in the challenge will provide the opportunity to position the company for raising a favorable loan of up to €2m by PhotonDelta. The contest is supported by imec, SMART Photonics, LioniX International, Bright Photonics, Epiphany and PHIX Photonics Assembly.

“One of the most exciting and compelling aspects of PIC technology is the sheer breadth of applications it can be used for and its capacity to tackle some of the most pressing problems we face as a society,” says PhotonDelta’s CEO Eelko Brinkhof. “We want to encourage people to come forward with their most innovative ideas. We will provide the winner with significant support to get their ideas off the drawing board and into production.”

The Global Photonics Engineering Contest is open to startups, established companies, engineers, researchers, students and academic organizations working on innovative photonic chip applications.

The contest is being launched officially at PIC Summit 2024 in Eindhoven on 15 October. Submissions will be open until the 3 March 2025, with the winner and runners up announced on the 2 April.

Contest entries will be judged on the level of innovation, technical and commercial feasibility, and how effectively the design addresses current industry challenges. Participants are required to submit detailed descriptions of their projects, including team information and supporting visuals or videos. A jury panel of experts from the integrated photonics industry will review the submissions, with the winners announced on 8 April 2025.