Our Further Innovation call, Call 5, invited applications up to 12 months in length requesting up to £150k.
Seven projects were funded, for a total of £915,000 of funding from the PQA for impact acceleration.
The projects cover a broad range of applications, from collaborating with industry leaders in bringing new technology into their products to developing new devices and manufacturing techniques that will enable the quantum and photonics industries of the future.
Two projects follow on from previous PQA funding. Dr Iliyana Samardzieva, at the University of Glasgow, will optimise and standardise processes to deliver defect-free, reproducible thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) substrates with the precision needed for commercial adoption, transitioning from laboratory-scale research to the scalable production of high-quality, industry-ready wafers. These wafers are the essential platform for next-generation innovation in quantum computing, LiDAR, secure communications, aerospace, and AI-driven sensing. By creating the UK’s first dedicated TFLN substrate supply chain, the project will establish Scotland as Europe’s leading photonics hub, strengthen supply chain resilience, and drive growth across multiple strategic sectors. Dr Brian Gerardot, at Heriot-Watt University, will build on pioneering work in automated 2D material assembly, integrating machine vision, robotics, and optical metrology into a commercial-ready platform capable of constructing complex electronic and photonic devices with unmatched reproducibility and quality. Through international trials with leading partners, the team will validate performance, scalability, and market fit in advance of spinning-out. The project positions Scotland at the forefront of quantum and photonic manufacturing, creating a pathway from breakthrough laboratory science to real-world technologies and high-value commercial impact.
Prof Cristian Bonato, at Heriot-Watt University, will use quantum diamond sensors with ultra-precise diamond positioning technology to produce a new microscope that will enable nanoscale chemical and material analysis with unprecedented accuracy and throughput, supporting sectors such as semiconductors, biotechnology, and quantum computing.
Prof Michael Strain is leading a collaboration between the University of Strathclyde, the University of Glasgow and Optos, that will integrate compact semiconductor lasers and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) into existing optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, used in scanning retinas for a multitude of health indicators, enabling new OCT functionality and dramatically reducing eye scanning times. The technology developed will demonstrate routes to reduce manufacturing costs through wafer-scale production and underpin new product line opportunities, creating substantial industrial impact for Optos and Scottish supply chain partners.
Prof Michael Davies, at the University of Edinburgh, will develop a demonstrator system of high-resolution, long-range, low-cost solid-state LIDAR that uses world leading SPAD array research and new patented LIDAR processing capable of 99% compression of the full time of flight data with negligible loss of range resolution. Applications range from robotics, smartphones, and AR/VR headsets to airborne/spaceborne surveying and is a key technology in driver assistance and self-driving systems.
Dr Calum Ross, at Heriot-Watt University, will launch a spin out, FreeForm Photonics, which will supply unique photonics components fabricated using Ultrashort-Pulsed (USP) Laser Processing (LP). These enable advanced optical sensors, communications and MedTech. The project will support improving the fabrication process resulting in the order of magnitude increase in capacity to satisfy customer demand for lower cost of system assembly.
Prof Daniele Faccio, at the University of Glasgow, will combine EEG and photonics technology (fNIRS) to diagnose and track concussion severity and recovery. Concussion affects up to 3M people annually in the UK, with an estimated 50% remaining undiagnosed. The prototype will be refined into a compact, usable device which can be sent to partners to gather data on sports concussions and validate real-world efficacy.
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