• H2020
• Industrial Leadership
• Micro and Nanoelectronics & Photonics

Innovate UK has launched a photonics competition aimed at stimulating electronics firms working in St Asaph, North Wales.

There are around 80 companies in the Welsh photonics sector based around St Asaph. It employs 5,000 people and is seeing steady growth of 8% a year.

The North Wales photonics Launchpad competition, which is being run with support from the Welsh Government and the Welsh Opto-Electronics Forum, aims to stimulate this business hotspot by helping companies to go further, faster towards commercial success.

A key element will be help for businesses to raise the extra finance they need to support their projects and a programme of business support and growth activities running alongside projects.

Micro, small and medium-sized business working in a cluster of photonics, electro-optics and opto-electronics firms can apply for a share of up to £500,000 for innovative research and development projects.

Projects should be based on photonics, electro-optics and opto-electronics technologies that have the potential to create new products and services for a range of sectors, including optical communications, manufacturing and materials processing, health and life sciences, lighting, energy, security and safety.

It opens on 22 February 2016 and the deadline for video submissions is at 13:00 CET on 6 April 2016. Projects must be led by a micro, small or medium-sized company working alone or with partners, and are expected to last for up to 12 months.

A briefing event will be held at the OpTIC Centre in St Asaph on 11 February 2016.

Visit Innovate UK to find out more about the competition and apply.