PhotonDelta Launches PIC-based Engineering Contest

The Netherlands-based photonic chip industry accelerator PhotonDelta is launching a Global Photonics Engineering Contest to stimulate the creation of new applications for photonic chips. Rolled out in collaboration with Wevolver, a knowledge and community platform for engineers, the competition invites engineers to use the characteristics of photonic integrated chips (PICs) to innovate in fields like healthcare, autonomous vehicles, AI, and agriculture by enabling advanced sensors for earlier diagnostics, safer infrastructure, or more efficient food production.

The goal of the contest, PhotonDelta said in an announcement introducing the contest, is to discover future applications in segments that are yet to be invented. The winner will receive €50,000 worth of services to develop its concept as well as global exposure at an industry event. Participants will also have the chance to secure a loan of up to €2 million from PhotonDelta if selected by the accelerator.

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.

The contest is backed by a €60 million ($65.7 million) fund from PhotonDelta, set up to stimulate the creation of new startups and applications in the PIC industry. The event is supported by industry members SMART Photonics, LioniX International, Bright Photonics, Epiphany, and PHIX Photonics Assembly.

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