6 minute read
RespiceSME
Illuminating the path to market for innovators in photonics
The RespiceSME project is proposing new approaches to boost the effectiveness of European photonics SMEs. Project Manager, Samantha Michaux, talked to EU Research about the aims, methods and overcoming the challenges to stimulate photonics SMEs in Europe
Photonics applications are vast and
all pervasive but few people outside the direct involvement in photonics research and innovation fully comprehend its reach and potential.
“The word photonics is not widely understood in industry, yet it is a branch of science that has a huge impact on our lives and on our economy. For instance, the smart technology we rely on today owes a lot to photonics. We see the results of photonics in the automotive industry, in manufacturing, in applications for the energy sector, for environmental studies and more,” explained Samantha Michaux, Project Coordinator of RespiceSME.
The fields of optics and photonics have experienced dramatic technical advances over the past several decades and have cemented themselves as key enabling technologies across many different industries. Photonics is the science and technology responsible for generating, manipulating and detecting light waves and particles of light, known as photons. Far from being a mysterious fringe science, photonics technology is all around us every day – it’s in the TV remote control, the DVD player, fibre optic connections, the shop barcode scanners, smartphones and laptops, our in-car sensor systems and in lighting systems. For more specialist uses we see photonics in medical instruments, satellite imagery, security systems, manufacturing (lasers cutting) and energy production, such as PV solar cells, for example.
The global market value of photonics technology in the world economy is 300 billion Euros with a projected market value of beyond 600 billion Euros in 2020.
The potential therefore, for SMEs in photonics should be huge, yet there is often a disconnect between creating the initial innovations and reaching the marketplace. When that gap between innovation and industry isn’t bridged, opportunity and potential can go to waste.
This is where RespiceSME steps in; with a robust formula that enables productive business development strategies.
“We provide cluster managers and representatives of organisations
© LITEK (Laser&Engineering
Technologies cluster).
supporting SMEs with methodologies and tools to analyse the business goals and processes of photonics SMEs effectively and support them by defining a sustainable innovation strategy. Furthermore, we focus on the analysis of value chains to identify potential gaps which can merge in new business opportunities.”
Targeted collaborations
“We have gone to great lengths to identify and approach the most promising SMEs in photonics across Europe and offer them this unique support in business development. The 10 partners in the project are mainly photonics innovation clusters joining forces to increase the competitiveness of European Photonics SMEs. Each partner has three businesses under their guidance, so 30 businesses in all stand to gain from this. For the SMEs, this is valuable, as this kind of consultancy for strategy would otherwise be at great cost to the company, if provided by profit-oriented consultancies,” says Michaux.
The process begins with an innovation audit to assess the business innovation processes. RespiceSME then stimulate the innovation potential by developing a sustainable innovation strategy and defining recommendations which lead to an action plan for strengthening the innovation capacity of high-tech photonics SMEs.
RespiceSME helps exploit photonics innovation capacity by analysing different value chains valuable for high-tech photonics SMEs and optimises the value of inter-sectoral applications of photonics by promoting better understanding and exploitation of interdisciplinary value chains and sector roadmaps. For this purpose, we implement a Value Chain Analysis for commercial sectors of Environment/Energy, Transport and Manufacturing.
“We help with everything from forming their identity, finding the best ways to exploit their products and helping them to understand which sectors and industries could really benefit from what they are producing. We facilitate access between SMEs and technology research organisations (RTOs) to provide them with R&D facilities and expertise. Additionally, we inform SMEs about the different financial instruments (public & private) available for innovation funding”, so Michaux.
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Full Project Title
RESPICESME IN A NUTSHELL (RespiceSME)
Project Objectives
The RespiceSME project aims to reinforce the innovative capacity of Europe’s photonics Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), clusters and national platforms by stimulating targeted collaborations in and beyond photonics.
Project Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 687961
Consortium Members
• Steinbeis 2i GmbH – Germany • OpticsValley – France • Foundation for Research and Technology
Hellas – Greece • OptecNet Deutschland e.V. – Germany • PhotonicSweden – Sweden • Photonics Austria – Austria • SECPhO – Light Technologies Cluster – Spain • National University of Ireland – Galway, Ireland • Laser & Engineering Technologies Cluster – Lithuania • Knowledge Transfer Network Limited –
United Kingdom
Contact Details
Project Manager, Samantha Michaux Steinbeis 2i GmbH (S2i) Germany T: +49 721 935 19-123 E: michaux@steinbeis-europa.de W: www.respice-sme.eu
Samantha Michaux
Samantha Michaux has been working for Steinbeis 2i GmbH (S2i) based in Germany, since 2010 and has been Project Manager there for over four years. Her expertise is in project management and consultation in a wide range of sectors including ICT, Transport & Logistics, Energy, Automotive, EU Financing, Technology Transfer, Business Development, Internationalism and Innovation Management. Prior to this she studied at the the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Samantha is qualified in Business Development and speaks four languages with professional proficiency: French, English, Spanish and German. © Fotolia 78439179 M ProMotion
Sourcing talent and funding
An important part of the RespiceSME project involves aligning education with innovation by collecting and updating information on photonics courses and training activities for the future photonics generation. In this framework the consortium organises a workshop to trigger innovation seekers and companies by which tools and measures will be presented to better scope the requirements of the industry (in particular SMEs) for improving and updating the curricula of physics / photonics courses.
The project also provides feedback to the European Commission with data and research around Regional research and innovation strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) that build on each region’s strengths, competitive advantages and potential for excellence. These analysis should provide valuable information on strategic decisions being made to support the innovation capacities of photonics SMEs and thus, design the regional funding programmes.
RespiceSME is a unique initiative to help photonics SMEs struggling with different gaps that hinder their development or exploitation of innovation capacity. The gaps mainly signify limited access to education, public institutions, policy makers, other industries, etc. Innovation clusters are building bridges to overcome these gaps or barriers that are preventing innovation effectiveness. They are connected to their SMEs and also to all mentioned institutions that SMEs need to access to stay competitive on the market.
most promising SMEs in photonics across Europe
© LITEK (Laser&Engineering Technologies cluster).
