SMART PHOTONICS BV

Their core work

SMART Photonics is an Indium Phosphide (InP) photonic chip foundry based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. They manufacture photonic integrated circuits (PICs) on a commercial pilot line, serving customers across telecommunications, sensing, automotive LiDAR, quantum communication, and data transfer applications. As a pure-play InP foundry, they provide wafer-scale fabrication services using a generic foundry model — meaning multiple customer designs share a single manufacturing run, dramatically reducing cost and access barriers for SMEs and researchers developing photonic solutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2016-2018), SMART Photonics operated as a broad-spectrum photonics foundry, contributing components across diverse application areas — lighting, automotive, aerospace, telecom, life sciences, security, and metrology — while establishing their generic foundry model through projects like WIPE and EDIFY. From 2019 onward, the focus sharpened significantly: they secured their largest grant (EUR 3.2M) to scale up their InP pilot line, invested in ecosystem-building through PhotonHub and ACTPHAST, and began exploring next-generation hybrid integration (InP on Silicon Nitride). The trajectory is clear — from component supplier to infrastructure-grade foundry with ecosystem ambitions.

SMART Photonics is transitioning from a niche InP foundry to a scaled manufacturing platform with hybrid integration capabilities (InP on SiN), positioning itself as critical European photonics infrastructure.

How they like to work

SMART Photonics overwhelmingly operates as a participant (10 of 12 projects), contributing specialized fabrication capabilities to large consortia rather than leading them. Their single coordinated project — SmartPhotonics (EUR 3.2M SME Instrument Phase 2) — was focused on scaling their own pilot line. With 173 unique consortium partners across 21 countries, they are a well-connected node in the European photonics ecosystem, the kind of partner that brings manufacturing reality to research concepts.

Extensively networked across the European photonics community with 173 unique partners in 21 countries. Their participation in ecosystem hubs like PhotonHub Europe and ACTPHAST means they are connected to virtually every significant photonics research group and SME in Europe.

What sets them apart

SMART Photonics is one of very few commercial Indium Phosphide foundries in Europe, making them a strategic asset for any consortium that needs actual chip fabrication — not just simulation or design. Their SME Instrument Phase 2 success (EUR 3.2M) demonstrates that the European Commission recognized them as critical photonics infrastructure worth scaling. For consortium builders, they solve a common problem: bridging the gap between photonic circuit design and physical manufacturing at a time when European semiconductor sovereignty is a political priority.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SmartPhotonics
  Their only coordinated project and largest single grant (EUR 3.2M via SME Instrument), dedicated to scaling their InP pilot line into a self-sustained commercial foundry.
• InPulse
  EUR 1.76M contribution to building a full-scale InP pilot line with low barriers to entry, directly enabling the European PIC ecosystem.
• UNIQORN
  Demonstrates their reach beyond classical telecom into quantum communication, fabricating photonic components for affordable quantum key distribution systems.