Clarity Sensors’ EIC Transition award for photon-counting x-ray detection technology

In June 2025, Clarity Sensors commenced their three-year, €2.5 million EIC Transition project, PERFORM. They are advancing PRISM-X, their second-generation, photon-counting X-ray detectors based on perovskite compound semiconductors. We interviewed Hayden Salway, Co-Founder & CEO, and Malcolm Stewart, Commercial Lead, to explore the impact, aims for PERFORM, and their collaboration with Catalyze.

The Clarity Sensors team, including Hayden Salway, Co-Founder & CEO (centre), and Malcolm Stewart, Commercial Lead (centre-right). Image used with permission from Clarity Sensors.

Solving problems in X-ray detection

In conventional X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanners, a motorised, rotating source directs X-rays through the body. The signal is detected, generating cross-sectional images that are processed into a 3D image. While an important clinical tool, conventional X-ray detectors cannot measure individual X-ray photons, which limits image quality (resolution, contrast) and can result in the patient having to undergo additional X-rays, increasing the accumulated X-ray dose.

A major breakthrough in CT scanning came with the development of the first photon-counting detector system, cleared for clinical use in 2021.

Hayden explains, “Photon-counting X-ray detectors count every X-ray photon individually, allowing you to maintain spectral resolution. They use ~40% lower dose than typical CT scans – but their biggest impact is in enabling clinicians to increase their throughput, because the image quality is much higher. It gives them much higher diagnostic confidence which reduces re-scans and the costs associated and progresses patients down the diagnostic pathway more efficiently and quickly.”

Clarity Sensors is making photon-counting CT scalable

These “first-generation” photon-counting CT scanners use existing semiconductor materials, cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) or cadmium telluride (CdTe).

“There are only around three companies worldwide that can make medical grade quality CZT and CdTe, so there’s a supply bottle neck.” Hayden explains, “This has caused the price of photon-counting CT to become very high, limiting hospital access to the technology.”

Clarity Sensors has engineered a new semiconductor material, called perovskite which directly measures and counts individual photons reaching the detector.

Hayden continues, “We specifically engineered our material as a bulk single crystal perovskite, which has exceptional X-ray detection properties and is much more scalable and cost effective to produce than CZT. Ultimately, we aim to bring the benefits of photon-counting imaging to all of CT scanning, not just the expensive machines that only big teaching hospitals can access.”

Malcolm explains the key benefit of their new technology, and the biggest problem it solves.

“Two words: diagnostic confidence. The superior images from our technology alongside the new AI software in CT scanners, means that the confidence in any diagnosis of any type of disease is going to be improved, and that will benefit everyone. This can reduce unnecessary procedures. Another problem that we can solve is radiation dose, which is particularly impactful in paediatrics because in children, giving them repeated high X-ray doses, leads to an increased risk of developing cancer in later life.”

Clarity Sensors’ EIC Transition, PERFORM

In PERFORM, Clarity Sensors’ aim to move from their current development stage, with demonstrated proof of concept (TRL 3), to validation and demonstration in a relevant environment (TRL 5-6). The project kicked off in June 2025, and they have been busy with generating initial results.

“We can really accelerate and drive our technology forward with this EIC Transition grant.” Hayden emphasises, “This is transformative for us as an early-stage company. The first thing to highlight is the team we’ve built. We have hired well and brought in a strong and experienced team with very good track records in relevant industries.”

Malcolm adds, “The exciting thing for us is that we’re already achieving some interesting performance results with the perovskite crystals that we’re growing, before we’ve really optimised what we are doing. These results give us confidence that we can achieve results beyond what we initially expected. We’ve got a powerful technology here – the impact of these improved X-ray images is going to be groundbreaking.”

Key aims for PERFORM

Hayden breaks down the key outcomes they are working towards:

“By the end of the project, we will have a photon-counting detector with our perovskite semiconductor and a third party commercial microelectronic chip, creating a prototype detector module. In our X-ray characterisation systems, this enables us to do pre-clinical imaging and data collection.

“We will validate and compare our prototype detector to the state-of-the-art first-generation photon-counting detector, to show the higher quality performance and imaging capabilities, and potentially the lower dose aspect of that as well.”

Collaborating with Catalyze towards the award

Securing their Transition grant was a long journey for the team. “We actually applied three years in a row.” Hayden says, “The first year by ourselves, in the second year we got full support from Catalyze. They helped us translate our vision into a submission better tailored to the assessors’ requirements and we made it to the interview stage.

“For our next submission, we built on the strong content from Catalyze and received review support. Catalyze was important in helping us use the reviewer comments to improve our previous application and turn it into a successful application. I think Catalyze’s strength is their in-depth knowledge of the ‘tick boxes’ – the requirements you need to fill to make a good EIC transition application. Overall, I’m very positive about Catalyze. The win ratio speaks for itself, Catalyze has a very successful track record in both the EIC Transition and Accelerator.”

Looking ahead

In a year from now, Clarity Sensors will be halfway through their project. To finish, we asked where they would like to be.

Hayden shares, “We would like to be able to show the world the first perovskite photon counting detector prototype module, and the first groundbreaking image that comes from that. From there, we will be starting collaborations with some of the world’s largest X-ray system manufacturers.”

Learn more about Clarity Sensors