Barcelona’s ICFO to lead €380 million European project to create photonic chips

The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) will lead and coordinate the PIXEurope programme across the continent. This programme aims to boost creation of photonic chips and make Europe a global leader. The project, promoted by the European Commission, is endowed with €380 million and will bring unique technological capacities to the industry, creating European-owned technology in a sector that is extremely important for technological sovereignty.

In this regard, the global market for photonic chips (PIC) will grow more than 400% over the next 10 years and the global photonics market will hit more than €1.5 billion. This impressive growth is due to the incessant and growing demand for these devices for various applications in the telecommunications, artificial intelligence, automotive and mobility sectors, as well as medicine and healthcare, defence and security, plus a wide range of consumer goods.

The European Commission, which has selected this programme as its 5th pilot line, has chosen ICFO to coordinate it on a continental level, with a consortium that will include organisations from Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Leading this Photonics Chip Pilot Line will attract talent to Catalonia and boost business competitiveness.

ICFO is a research centre that belongs to the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), founded by the Government of Catalonia and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). It is located at the Mediterranean Technology Park and currently has more than 500 people working in 26 research groups in 80 cutting-edge labs.