North Wales Photonics Launchpad

Innovate is inviting SME’s to apply for £50-90k for up to a 12 month industrial research project as part of the North Wales Photonics Launchpad. Projects must be must be led by a micro, small or medium-sized company that  is likely to be in the early stages of its development; businesses can work alone or in collaboration. Micro and small businesses will receive up to 70% of eligible costs, medium-sized businesses 60%.

A  briefing for potential applicants will be in the OpTIC Centre, St Asaph on Thursday 11th February.  Initial application is via 2 minute Video submission with full competition brief online.

The competition aims to stimulate photonics, businesses in North Wales by enabling companies to go further and/or faster towards commercial success. Innovate are therefore looking for projects that may be too risky for companies to take forward without any support, or that may take them into new innovative areas, and where the majority of the project activities are carried out in North Wales. Launchpad competitions are open to SMEs that:

  • are in North Wales
  • plan to start up in the cluster or move into North Wales
  • collaborate with a company already in North Wales

An integral part of Launchpad is the offer of support to help applicants to raise additional new external finance that we expect will be needed to fully fund the project and its subsequent commercialisation. In addition to receiving project funding, successful applicants will participate in a programme of business support and growth activities that will run in parallel to projects.

Projects should demonstrate significant innovation in relation to topics that may include, but are not limited to the following:
  • optical components
  • optical coatings
  • manufacture and measurement of high-surface-quality parts for optics and photonics
  • conventional and modern optics
  • anti-reflection thin films for optical and photovoltaic (PV) technologies
  • electrostatic discharge films for solar cells
  • solar cell thin films for different technologies or applications
  • transparent, conducting oxides, spanning all PV technologies
  • optical features in polymers and semiconductors and automotive/ medical (mainly micro-mould tools for injection moulding)
  • 3D printing of optically transparent glass and rapid prototyping of complete optical systems

The competition opens for applicants on 22 February 2016. The deadline for video submissions is at noon on 6 April 2016

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