The newly inaugurated ATTRACT funding program initiated by the European Horizon2020 is offering €17 million to 170 projects across Europe to support the development of breakthrough technologies as part of the mission to create an entirely new, European model of Open Innovation. Qnami, Magnes, Gamaya in a joint project with Dotphoton from Switzerland are among the beneficiaries.
ATTRACT brings together Europe’s fundamental research and industrial communities to lead the next generation of detection and imaging technologies. Funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program and backed by a consortium of 9 partners, the project aims to revamp Europe’s economy and improve people’s lives by creating products, services, companies and jobs.
The program runs in two phases. The ATTRACT Phase-1 Project is a seed-funding mechanism for the identification of high-risk, high-gain technologies to bring them up. The ATTRACT Phase-2 Project will create societal and economic value from the scientific ideas and technologies of the ATTRACT Phase-1 Project using public funding to the point where it becomes a financially sustainable or acceptable risk for private investment communities.
€17 million for seed funding
Following the recent selection, 170 breakthrough projects have been nominated for the ATTRACT Phase 1-Project offering a total of €17 Million. Covering the categories of data acquisition systems and computing Front and back-end electronics, sensors and Software and integration the projects will each receive €100,000. During a one-year-period, the consortiums will develop their technologies, prove the scientific merit and innovation potential of their disruptive detection and imaging technologies. Business and innovation experts from the ATTRACT Project Consortium’s Aalto University, EIRMA, and ESADE Business School will help the project teams explore how their breakthrough technologies can be transformed into innovations with strong market potential.
The following projects in the cohort involve Swiss startups
Qnami is a quantum sensing start-up that uses cutting-edge quantum technologies (and synthetic diamonds) to improve imaging techniques. The startup will collaborate with the CNRS - Laboratoire Charles Coulomb from France on the project ThermoQuant to develop innovative, high-performance sensors for nanoscale thermal sensing and imaging
Magnes AG a Zurich based startup that develops and fabricates tailor-made micro-magnets for various applications such as performance monitoring sensors & anti-counterfeiting. Together with the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (UK), they will work on the project: 3D-printable metamaterial Integrated piezopolymer-based sensing platforms (3D-MIPS) to develop a wearable sensing platform by integrating two emerging technologies: metamaterial sensors and piezoelectric polymers. Moreover, 3D printing techniques will be utilized to fabricate the platform for realizing versatile, cost-effective and personalized devices.
Dotphoton AG, a specialist in quantum-based raw image compression and Gamaya AG, developing agronomic solutions powered by hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and artificial intelligence are working as a consortium on the project Unchaining Hyperspectral Imaging with quantum-inspired compression. Through their project, the two startups will push compression technology into the realm of HSI.
Further information on ATTRACT and the selected projects is available on the website.
(RAN)
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