Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains (IA) (Photonics Partnership)

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity focuses on "Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains" under the Photonics Partnership. This grant falls within the framework of Horizon Innovation Actions, indicating a primary funding type of grant. Eligible applicants include SMEs, large enterprises, research institutes, and universities from EU member states and associated countries, with a preference for collaborative consortia that include industrial partners.

The grant aims to advance photonic sensor technologies to improve efficiency, performance, and reliability while reducing costs and power consumption. This initiative supports the EU's strategic objectives of technological sovereignty and digital transition. Projects are expected to yield benefits in various sectors such as healthcare, transportation safety, industrial efficiency, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and security.

The expected funding amount per project ranges from €4,000,000 to €6,000,000, with a total budget for the call of €25,000,000. The deadline for submissions is October 2, 2025, requiring a single-stage application process. Projects must aim for significant improvements in sensor capabilities and performance, integrating multiple technologies, and documenting a clear business exploitation strategy.

Furthermore, projects should contribute to three key outcomes including enhanced sensor efficiency, reduced size and manufacturing costs, and improved sensing capabilities. Applications are to demonstrate validated use cases, interoperability, and collaboration with existing initiatives, including the Digital Europe Programme.

The grant requires projects to reach Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) of 4-5 for demonstrators and TRL 7 for photonic technologies. Co-funding by private entities is typically expected, ensuring significant industry involvement. The anticipated success rates for proposals are estimated between 10-39%, typical for Horizon Europe grants.

In summary, this grant fosters innovation in sensor technologies for diverse applications, aligning with strategic goals for enhanced European competitiveness and sustainability.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01, focusing on advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains, under the Photonics Partnership. It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is June 10, 2025, and the deadline for submission is October 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget is 25,000,000 EUR, with contributions ranging from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR per project, and an indicative number of 5 grants.

The call aims to advance photonic sensor technologies and their integration into multimodal systems to improve efficiency, performance, and reliability while reducing costs and power consumption. It aligns with EU policies for open strategic autonomy, technological sovereignty, and the digital and green transition. The initiative seeks to advance digital transformation by providing high-quality environmental data and supporting technologies for privacy and data integrity. It also contributes to the green transition by leveraging photonic sensor technologies for environmental monitoring and sustainable practices.

Projects are expected to contribute to at least three of the following outcomes: increasing the efficiency of photonic sensors, reducing sensor size and weight, improving measurement accuracy, extending sensing capabilities by linking optical with non-optical parameters, and reducing manufacturing costs while enhancing reliability. Additionally, projects should help secure open strategic autonomy for Europe and maximize international competitiveness.

The scope includes developing sensor technologies and validating them through realistic use cases, exploring multi-modal sensor capabilities, and employing sensor fusion and machine learning for data analysis. Techniques should address at least two different technology approaches, with at least one being photonic, from areas such as 3D sensing and imaging (LIDAR, OCT, etc.), communication fiber sensing, chemical and gas sensing, bio- and medical sensing and/or imaging, particle sensing, and integrated photonic solutions. Proposals can also focus on developing algorithms to enhance the processing capabilities of photonic sensors.

Projects should aim for significant improvements in application domains like healthcare, transportation safety, industrial efficiency and sustainability, agriculture/food sector, environmental monitoring and sustainable energy, and security/safety/resilience. Demonstrators should reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-5, while photonic techniques should reach TRL 7.

Proposals must include a business scenario and exploitation strategy. Research should build on existing standards or contribute to standardization, addressing interoperability for data sharing. Collaboration with existing projects and synergies with other European, national, or regional initiatives, including the Digital Europe Programme (DEP), are expected.

Admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, evaluation and award processes, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Application form templates are available in the Submission System.

Additional documents include the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme, Programme Guide, Framework Programme, Specific Programme Decision, EU Financial Regulation, decisions on lump sum contributions, rules for legal entity validation, and guidance documents like the EU Grants AGA and Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Partner search announcements are available on the portal, and support is provided through online manuals, FAQs, research enquiry services, national contact points, the Enterprise Europe Network, IT helpdesks, and IPR helpdesks.

In summary, this call encourages innovation in photonic sensor technologies and their integration into multimodal systems to address various societal challenges and contribute to a digital, green, and healthy future for Europe. It seeks projects that can demonstrate significant improvements in sensor performance, reduce costs, and enhance reliability across multiple application domains, while also fostering European strategic autonomy and international competitiveness.

There are also other calls for proposals:

HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 30,000,000 EUR, contributions from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 4 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 15,000,000 EUR, contributions from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 7,000,000 EUR, contributions from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR, contributions around 10,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 30,000,000 EUR, contributions around 15,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-HUMAN-08 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 5,000,000 EUR, contributions from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
All calls share the same opening date and deadline.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the Horizon Europe program and the nature of the call (Innovation Actions and Research and Innovation Actions), eligible applicants can include: research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other relevant legal entities from eligible countries. The call encourages collaboration, so consortia are expected.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically through HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). These are budget-based action grants.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the call encourages collaboration and synergy with other projects and initiatives, implying that a consortium is preferred or even necessary to address the scope comprehensively. Partner search announcements are available, further suggesting that consortia are common.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for entities within the EU and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. However, the call also mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants, subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is digital, industry, and space, with a strong focus on photonics and sensor technologies. Specific areas include: 3D sensing and imaging (LIDAR, OCT, optical tomography, interferometry, photoacoustics), communication fiber sensing, chemical and gas sensing, bio- and medical sensing and/or imaging, particle sensing, and integrated photonic solutions. The call also targets application domains such as healthcare, transportation safety, industrial efficiency and sustainability, agriculture/food sector, environmental monitoring and sustainable energy, and security/safety.

Mentioned Countries: The call explicitly mentions EU and associated countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of projects varies. Demonstrators are expected to reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-5, while the photonic techniques should be developed up to TRL 7. This suggests a focus on development, validation, and demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-02: EUR 6,000,000 to 8,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DATA-03: EUR 4,000,000 to 6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01: EUR 4,000,000 to 6,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04: EUR 3,000,000 to 4,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05: Around EUR 10,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07: Around EUR 15,000,000
HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-HUMAN-08: EUR 1,000,000 to 2,000,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the DIGITAL - HADEA (HORIZON-CL4-2025-04) program, focuses on "Advanced sensor technologies and multimodal sensor integration for multiple application domains" within the Photonics Partnership. It aims to advance photonic sensor technologies and their integration into multimodal systems to improve efficiency, performance, and reliability while reducing costs and power consumption. The call supports the EU's strategic autonomy in digital technologies, enhances technological sovereignty, and promotes the digital and green economy transition. Projects should contribute to at least three specific outcomes, including increasing sensor efficiency, reducing sensor size, improving performance metrics, extending sensing capabilities, and reducing manufacturing costs. The scope includes developing sensor technologies, validating them through realistic use cases, exploring multimodal sensor capabilities, and employing sensor fusion and machine learning. Projects should demonstrate improvements in healthcare, transportation safety, industrial efficiency, agriculture/food, environmental monitoring, security, and optical communications. Proposals must include a business scenario and exploitation strategy and should align with existing standards and initiatives, particularly the Digital Europe Programme (DEP). Funding is provided through HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), with varying budget ranges depending on the specific topic. The call is open to entities within the EU and associated countries, with potential provisions for non-EU participants. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of October 2, 2025.