ILMINSTER, England — Gooch & Housego (G&H) won a €2 million ($2.23 million) contract with the European Space Agency to develop the next generation of optical amplifiers that will enable multi-Tbit/s free space optical communications links between satellites and ground stations. Project EPOS (Extremely Powerful Optical Sources) will develop two amplifier systems, one for use terrestrially and one for use in space. The amplifiers will support 25 channels emitting 1000 W (terrestrial) and 100 W (space) of diffraction-limited light in the optical C and L bands. The project is part of and funded by the ESA ScyLight framework; it will start immediately and will run for 30 months.

NEUCHÂTEL, Switzerland — In an effort to boost European competitiveness and support advanced technical developments, the European Commission is providing €3 million ($3.34 million) to early adopters of the PHABULOuS Pilot Line Services for the implementation and integration of freeform micro-optical components. The pilot line services are available to all European companies, preferably small- to medium-size enterprises that have an existing design or prototype at any technology readiness level. Up to 90% of funding per pilot case is available, depending on company size, excellence, impact, and implementation.

BOSTON — Teledyne FLIR Defense, with its Denmark-based partner Precision Technic Defence Group, signed a seven-year framework agreement with the Danish Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO) to provide a variety of medium- and long-range surveillance systems for land, maritime, and airborne applications. DALO has awarded the companies a service and maintenance contract. The potential contract value is estimated to exceed $100 million over the period of performance.

KARLSRUHE, Germany — Nanoscribe and Dutch photonics packaging foundry PHIX BV began a collaboration to provide on-fiber printing services to the photonic packaging industry. PHIX will use Nanoscribe’s high-performance 3D microlens printing technology with nanoprecision alignment capabilities in its manufacturing services of standard lensed fiber arrays.

ROCHESTER, Mich. — On-machine metrology company AAT3D secured a software contract with a leading North American aircraft manufacturer that will integrate its computer-aided-design-based online and offline dimensional measurement software, CAPPSNC, for both coordinate measurement machine (CMM) and computerized numerical control (CNC) machine-tool controllers to directly interface with controllers on large CNC machines. The software will provide dimensional metrology data for CMM reports, adaptive work offsets, and adaptive tool offsets for 3-5 axis closed-loop manufacturing.

ESPOO, Finland — VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will coordinate QuTI, a research project to accelerate the progress of Finnish quantum technology. The project will develop new components, manufacturing and testing solutions, and algorithms for the needs of quantum technology. The QuTI consortium, partly financed by Business Finland, consists of 12 partners and has a budget of around €10 million ($11.14 million).