About PhotonicRoadSME
The European project „PhotonicRoadSME“ develops individual Technology Roadmaps in the field of photonics for supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The demands on forthcoming photonic products shall be identified at an early stage. Analysis of relevant international research and development results concerning photonic materials, fabrication technologies, and photonic devices and components shall help the SMEs to react to these emerging requirements. This roadmapping process will contribute to SMEs investment decisions and to the design of successful business models in medium term. For this, the project is divided into three phases.
The needs and market requirements of SMEs will be analysed by conducting interviews, surveys, and SWOT-analyses (strength/weakness/opportunity/threats analyses). Furthermore, national and international research activities and research publications in the scope of photonics will be investigated and evaluated branch-specifically. A newly developed dynamic database will contain all these information and will be used for developing industrial sector specific and SME specific Roadmaps.
The results of the analyses in phase 1 will contribute to the development of technology roadmaps for the four industrial branches:
• Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
• Environment & Energy
• Health & Well-being
• Safety & Security.
The identified trends within each of these sectors will highlight products and their application fields that possess high potentials for solving current social, ecological, and economic problems. The three different SME types “developer”, “producer”, and “user” will be analysed separately.
These individual Technology Roadmaps developed in phase 2 will be validated by conducting case studies and implementation workshops at the SMEs. Thereby, strategies for products development will emerge, enhancing the global competitiveness of these SMEs. The interaction between research facilities and SMEs shall be improved and the training of professionals in the photonics sector shall be facilitated.