Plenoptic Imaging aims at studying the phenomena of light field formation, propagation, sensing and perception along with the computational methods for extracting, processing and rendering the visual information. The PLENOPTIMA ultimate project goal is to establish new cross-sectorial, international, multi-university sustainable doctoral degree programmes in the area of plenoptic imaging and to train the first fifteen future researchers and creative professionals within these programmes for the benefit of a variety of application sectors. PLENOPTIMA develops a cross-disciplinary approach to imaging, which includes the physics of light, new optical materials and sensing principles, signal processing methods, new computing architectures, and vision science modelling. With this aim, PLENOPTIMA joints five of the strongest research groups in nanophotonics, imaging and machine learning in Europe with twelve innovative companies, research institutes and a pre-competitive business ecosystem developing and marketing plenoptic imaging devices and services. PLENOPTIMA advances the plenoptic imaging theory to set the foundations for developing future imaging systems that handle visual information in fundamentally new ways, augmenting the human perceptual, creative, and cognitive capabilities. More specifically, it develops 1) Full computational plenoptic imaging acquisition systems; 2) Pioneering models and methods for plenoptic data processing, with a focus on dimensionality reduction, compression, and inverse problems; 3) Efficient rendering and interactive visualization on immersive displays reproducing all physiological visual depth cues and enabling realistic interaction. All ESRs will be registered in Joint/Double degree doctoral programmes at academic institutions in Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany and Sweden. The programmes will be made sustainable through a set of measures in accordance with the Salzburg II Recommendations of the European University Association.

Electronics are set to merge with our bodies to extend our perceptions. Smartphones and watches will give way to the bodyNET: a network of sensors and smart devices woven into our clothing, worn on our skin and implanted in our bodies. Smart wearables are the next step in the Internet of Things wearable evolution. This market is one of the most vigorous over the coming years. SINTEC addresses a market, in terms of size, that reach over €70BN by 2026. A large amount of scientific results have emerged and a few start-ups are focused on stretchable electronics and sensors that employ liquid alloys for interconnects and passive components. However, there are until today no dedicated commercial equipment for manufacturing of such devices. This hinders large-scale industrial exploration and needs to be addressed. By a novel manufacturing technology for large area rigid-stretch PCB and integration, SINTEC will provide soft, sticky and stretchable sensor patches that can be used multiple times and at longer periods. With its dynamic compliance and water repellent permeable encapsulation it withstands vigorous action, sweating and water; making it ideal for an active life. A ground breaking intra body communication technique gives large bandwidth and secure consumption at low power, allowing for multiplex sensoric inputs from many nodes on the body. To demonstrate the advantages of the novel technology, SINTEC will apply it in clinical environment and in athletics performance evaluation. Industrial partners will exploit the results in manufacturing technology, Fat-IBC, and in soft compliant smart patch applications, e.g., in preventive care, sports and fitness, and medical technology.

The science of materials has always been at the centre of scientific and technological progress in human development. The tools to understand materials that fashion them to meet our societal needs have been just as important. Thermal neutrons are one of the most powerful probes that look directly at the structure and dynamics of materials from the macro- to the microscopic scale and from nano-seconds to seconds. It is therefore natural that a group of 17 European Partner Countries have joined together to construct the world’s most powerful neutron source, the European Spallation Source (ESS). The importance of ESS has been recognised by ESFRI who have prioritised it as one of three Research Infrastructures (RIs) for this INFRADEV-3 call. However, simply constructing the most powerful spallation neutron source will not, by itself, ensure the maximum scientific or technological impact. What is needed is an integrated program that ensures that key challenges are met in order to build an ESS that can deliver high impact scientific and technological knowledge. With a timeline of 36 months, involving 18 Consortium Partners and a budget of € 19.941.964, the BrightnESS proposal will ensure that (A) the extensive knowledge and skills of European companies, and institutes, are best deployed in the form of In-Kind Contributions to ESS for its construction and operation, (B) that technology transfer both to, and from, the ESS to European institutions and companies is optimised and, (C) that the maximum technical performance is obtained from the ESS target, moderators and detectors in order to deliver world class science and insights for materials technology and innovation.

Current displays fall far short of truly recreating visual reality. This can never be achieved by painting an image on a flat surface such as a TV screen, but requires a full-parallax display which can recreate the complete lightfield, i.e. the light traveling in every direction through every point in space. Recent years have seen major developments towards this goal, promising a new generation of ultra-realistic displays with applications in medicine, informatics, manufacturing, entertainment, gaming and more. However, achieving this will require a new generation of researchers trained both in the relevant physics, and in the biology of human vision. The European Training Network on Full-Parallax Imaging (ETN-FPI) aims at developing this new generation. The research concept of the network is to depart from the notations of plenoptics, light field and integral imaging, used sometimes interchangeably, and to harmonize and advance further the research in these areas under the umbrella of the wider and viewer-centred FPI concept. Fifteen early-stage researchers will be employed on novel inter-disciplinary FPI projects. The training disciplines include theoretical and applied optics, multi-dimensional image processing, and visual neuroscience. The targeted applications range from plenoptic microscopy to interaction with visual content generated by wide field-of-view displays. Extensive studies on perception of continuous parallax and subjective tests on various displays are planned. The training program includes local training, online seminars, workshops, training schools and a conference. The researchers trained within the network are expected to gather competitive skills and become highly competent in bringing innovations to the field of ultra-realistic and interactive visual media. This will enhance their employability in a rapidly growing sector in academia and industry and position Europe as a leader in this emerging multidisciplinary field.

REACTION will push through the first worldwide 200mm Silicon Carbide (SiC) Pilot Line Facility for Power technology. This will enable the European industry to set the world reference of innovative and competitive solutions for critical societal challenges, like Energy saving and CO2 Reduction as well as Sustainable Environment through electric mobility and industrial power efficiency. Establishing the first 200mm SiC Pilot Line in the world and developing the most innovative and cost competitive technology, this project will address mass-market applications like smart energy and smart mobility, and industrial. It will allow to meet the more and more increasing demand of requirements in terms of quality and cost constraint for next decade generation’s power electronics. The Project strength is the complete Pilot Line value chain implementation, integrating and optimizing partnership in the fields of SiC equipment developers, SiC process technologists, RTOs, and end users partners till the final applications context. This will allow to develop a full 8” SiC line ecosystem enhancing the competitiveness of EU- Industries down to the value chain in a market context where other countries today, such as the USA or Japan, are just starting to play on 6” SiC market. Innovative SiC power device Performances improvements, together with cost and size reductions, are the most relevant challenges addressed in the project that are expected to lead to a new stronger European supply chain for very compact SiC converters, from 600V to 2.2kV range, ideal for the addressed applications; the ambition is therefore to play a primary role towards excellence in Europe by a first generations of 8” SiC profitable Smart Mobility and Smart Energy products and components, primary access to IPs for the relevant essential capabilities, competitiveness of manufacturing in Europe.