First Light Imaging Wins EC Grant to Develop IR Camera

First Light Imaging SAS will use a grant from the European Commission to finalize development of an ultrafast, low-noise IR camera for use in astronomy, medical imagery, industry and defense.

The company is one of six small and medium French enterprises to receive grants totaling €10.79 million under the Horizon 2020 Instrument SME Phase 2 program.

Founded in 2011, First Light grew out of Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory, Grenoble Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics, and Haute-Provence Observatory.

First Light designs and manufactures high-technology cameras used in telescopes. The company has already been selected twice for financing by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Public Investment Bank (BPI) of France.