Successfully implemented ideas encourage perfection !
A high level of attention is devoted to a high value added oriented economy during European Union Structural Funds financial period 2014-2020 in Lithuania. One of the priority funding areas is research, experimental development in enterprises, as well as promotion of the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises during this period. The competitiveness of the company is directly dependent on the ability to create innovative products or services, and these skills require a lot of investment. Understanding the importance of innovation for their competitiveness, the LITEK™ companies of the Laser and Engineering Technology cluster not only invest roughly 5% of their annual turnover in research and innovation, but also actively participate in funding instruments for promoting innovation. The cluster companies and organizations have successfully completed a number of national and international projects in 2017. After using the financing from European Union Structural Funding measure “Dizainas LT“, JSC “3D prototipai” acquired the opportunity to increase the attractiveness, demand and productivity of the company’s products by creating new design solutions for three different products – a portable bike stroller, an innovative wine cellar and a time measurement system. During the project, the aim was to increase the attractiveness of mountain biking in Lithuania, to create an innovative design of a wine trolley, which will be compact and convenient to use and create a time-consuming system for everyone.
JSC “Integrated Fiber Optics” won the financing from European Union Structural Funds funding measure “Inovaciniai čekiai”. A technical feasibility study was developed for the purpose of identifying the parameters of the micropic (consisting of free space elements) of the fiber amplifier and the enhanced radiation of the output node, and the possibilities for creating reliable, fully functional micro-optic nodes of this type.
In 2017 JSC “Ferentis”, Center for physical science and technology (FTMC) and JSC ”ELAS” together with foreign partners, completed the successful projects in the international European Innovation Program EUREKA, which encouraged companies to develop innovative products in science and research institutions based on the results of R & D at all stages, from concept to pilot production.
JSC “Ferentis”, Center for physical science and technology (FTMC), together with the Finnish partner “Experimentica Ltd.”, has completed a 24-month project (the EUREKA program, the acronym ArtiCo) and has developed an artificial human-like cornea for drug permeability assay (PA).As well as UAB Ferentis, together with the Center for physical science and technology (FTMC) and partners from Israel and Sweden under the Horizon 2020 tool ERA-NET, implemented a project called REGENERATE http://www.ferentis.eu/en/news/i/17/). During the project, the researchers developed and thoroughly examined type I and III recombinant human protein collagen and a synthetic collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) hydrogel for use as carrier of corneal epithelial stem cells.
Also JSC “Elas”, together with foreign partners, completed its project (the EUREKA program, the acronym MultiLas) in 2017, which developed systems and process technologies that combine high quality laser drilling in micrometers and high productivity with a drill speed of up to 50 angles / sec. The system has a high power and speed laser, a treatment head, dividing a laser beam into several partial rays for parallel spiral treatment, and a prototype device with innovative controls.
“Altechna coatings” (former JSC “Optida”) together with the Swiss company „Evatec Ag”, under the framework of the international innovation program Eurostars, has implemented the project “Developing the Deposition of Optical Coatings for Advanced Magnetron Sputtering Method“) last year. The project involved the development of high-speed multi-layer optical coatings based on ZrO2 and HfO2 layers.
7FP APPOLO “Hub of Application Laboratories for Equipment Assessment in Laser Based Manufacturing” (the Center of Applied Research Laboratory for Industrial Laser Equipment Assessment) 48 months lasted project , implemented by the Center for physical science and technology (FTMC) together with 20 foreign partners, was completed in 2017.The project coordinator – the Center for physical science and technology (FTMC). The APPOLO project aimed to establish and coordinate communications between the end-users, which have demand on laser technologies for (micro)fabrication, to share knowledge accumulated in the application laboratories of the research institutes and universities and the laser equipment manufacturers (preferable SMEs) who want to market and integrate into production lines new lasers, laser radiation control and process control equipment.
LITEK™ not only actively participated in the development of new technologies in 2017, but also focused on the development of innovative processes in enterprises and export promotion activities. The Laser and Engineering Technology cluster (coordinated by the Science and Technology Park of the Institute of Physics), together with its foreign partners, completed two international projects, RespieSME, in 2017 (Regional and National Innovation Potential, H2020-ICT-2015) and LASER-GO (Creating and Developing the Strategic Cluster Partnership in Photonics for Health, COS-CLUSTER-2014-3-03). The RespiceSME project team has developed methodologies and tools for identifying innovative potential in photonics companies, has analyzed the value chain of companies in the field of photonics, has developed a database of curricula and competences of photonics for European universities, and has prepared insights on smart domain specialization in the field of photonics in different regions of Europe. LASER-GO projects, together with international partners, looked at the potential markets of third countries (South Africa, Iran, the USA, South-East Asia), established direct contacts with photonics associations and authorities of these countries, and initiated research projects.
LITEK™ partners plan to invest and participate actively in national and international programs in the future because only continuous investment in research and innovation and the search for new export markets will ensure the successful development of companies in the context of global competition.
