Who funds photonics research?

We count 419 funded photonics projects, active between 2020 and 2036, from 7 funders. The most came from EU · ERC (132 projects), EU · MSCA (75 projects) and EU · Digital, Industry and Space (58 projects). The median award is $2.1M, across the 403 of 419 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

419

Funders

7

Median award

$2.1M

Open calls now

10

Top funders of photonics research

Projects whose title or summary mentions photonics. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open photonics funding calls

10 open calls mention photonics today.

• Advanced integrated photonic devices for extended features and ultra-low power consumption (RIA) (Photonics Partnership)
  European Commission · Horizon Europe€3,000,000 – €5,000,000Deadline: March 18, 2027 ·
• Photonic Devices
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Photonic Energy Conversion
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Photonic Materials
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Photonic Metamaterials and Plasmonics
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Other Photonics Technologies
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Photonics
  National Science Foundation (SBIR/STTR)Not specifiedDeadline: July 7, 2027 ·
• Engineering (ENG): Electrical, Communications, and Computing Systems (ECCS)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Rolling (no fixed deadline listed)
• MPS Materials Research Programs (MPS Materials)
  U.S. National Science FoundationNot specifiedDeadline: Rolling (no fixed deadline listed)
  Real odds: About 1 in 4 funded (25% · NSF Division of Materials Research (DMR), all proposals, FY2024)

Real odds

• About 1 in 4 funded · 25% · NSF Division of Materials Research (DMR), all proposals, FY2024 · NSF funding rates (directorate page)

Published success rates for the programs behind the open calls above: the share of applications the funder funded, program-wide, not for this topic.

Funded photonics projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• NSF STELLAR Engine in the Rochester/Finger Lakes Region of New York
  NSF · TIP · $15,000,000 · ends 2036
• CAREER: Nature-Inspired, 3D-Architected Photonic Surfaces to Elucidate Structure and Disease in Fibrous Tissue
  NSF · ENG · $500,000 · ends 2031
• Prevention of Household Tuberculosis with Optimal Nutrition (PHOTON)
  Wellcome · £7,251,245 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Quantum Control of Trapped Ion Qubits with Electro-Optic Integrated Photonic Circuits
  NSF · MPS · $665,195 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Lossless Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics via Directed Emission
  NSF · MPS · $750,000 · ends 2031
• CAREER: Tailoring Light-Matter Interactions in Perovskite-Based Molecular Metamaterials for Quantum-Informed Photonic Technologies.
  NSF · MPS · $672,514 · ends 2031
• Astrophysics and cosmology from CMB scattering
  UKRI · STFC · £826,721 · ends 2031
• Top-down solid-state systems for quantum sensing using silicon, photonics, and robotics
  UKRI · EPSRC · £1,246,923 · ends 2030
• NSF PCL-Test Bed: AI-enabled, Cloud-based Self-Driving Nanofabrication Node for Accelerating Semiconductor Research and Education
  NSF · TIP · $20,000,000 · ends 2030
• GM/CA@APS: A Macromolecular Crystallography Resource
  NIH · NIGMS · $4,783,121 · ends 2030

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “photonics or photonic”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.