April 18th 2019 3.75 million euro of funding for SMART Photonics strengthens the Dutch ecosystem for integrated photonics

SMART Photonics has successfully closed a loan agreement with PhotonDelta to the amount of 3.75 million euros. Scale-up SMART Photonics, located in Eindhoven on the High Tech Campus, plays an central role in the integrated photonics industry. It is offering independent foundry production services for Indium Phosphide based photonic components. The loan of PhotonDelta is enabling SMART Photonics to further scale up the production of photonic integrated circuits.

‘This funding allows us to further grow the company, to improve and expand our technology platform and to scale up our production capability. The possibility to produce these so called ‘PICs’ is essential for the entire supply chain to grow and to meet the market demand’, according to CFO Robert Feelders. “We are very pleased with the support that PhotonDelta offers and see this as another great step in anchoring the new and exciting photonics industry in The Netherlands, including a manufacturing capability.

For PhotonDelta, this funding is also an important milestone. Joachim de Sterke, CFO at PhotonDelta explains: ‘The loan to SMART Photonics is the first financing provided by PhotonDelta to its partners. To have a partner within the ecosystem like SMART Photonics, who is able to produce photonic integrated circuits of globally recognized class, is of major importance. We see the investment in SMART Photonics as a momentous step to strengthen and further grow the overall integrated photonics ecosystem in the Netherlands.’

The integrated photonic ecosystem
SMART Photonics is a company working together with many partners in the supply chain. Together with high qualified knowledge institutions, these companies form a unique ecosystem. All partners are convinced that integrated photonics is a key enabling technology for many new applications in the near future. By collaborating across the entire supply chain, they can be successful. That’s why companies, governments and knowledge institutes are working together and provide funding through a public-private partnership, called PhotonDelta (2018).

PhotonDelta’s mission
Starting from a specific market demand, PhotonDelta aims to convert the mainly Dutch technology leadership in integrated photonics into business opportunities and thereby expand the number of companies, turnover and employment rates within integrated photonics in The Netherlands and beyond.