Our C-PIC Innovation Fund, with funding from EPSRC, is here to support commercially-focused proposals for innovation silicon photonics solutions across all application areas.  
We want to fund a wide range of projects from people across career stages and pathways, including early career researchers and technicians. 

If you have an innovative proposal to make silicon photonics technology more available to improve everyday life, we want to hear from you. 

Thanks to support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, funding will be available for UK academic-led, industry-driven proposals across a range of Technology and Market Readiness interventions, including, but not limited to: 

• Feasibility studies 
• Process Design Kit (PDK), device and component design 
• Device packaging 
• Integration 
• Proof-of-concept demonstrators  
• Prototypes 
• Establishing market demand 
• Value propositions 
• Minimal Viable Product (MVP) testing 
• Proof of scalability 

By supporting a wide range of C-PIC Innovation Projects, we will help drive the collaborations, technologies and commercialisation needed to translate silicon photonics technologies from research labs into industry.  

Announcing our first wave of funded projects

Our first call closed on 9 April 2025.
14 applications were submitted, with a total value of more than £1.26M. £500k was available in Call 1 and the success rates were 36% (by number) and 37% (by value). The panel awarded funding to the five top ranked projects.

These exciting projects are accelerating the use of silicon photonics in strategically important applications, from quantum technologies to environmental sensing and healthcare – find out more.

Funding opportunities