EIC Pathfinder: UNINA led ‘HoloMorPh’ project to develop next-generation flat-optics fabrication platform

Led by University of Naples Federico II (UNINA), the HoloMorPh project was awarded over €3 million in the 2025 EIC Pathfinder Open to develop an end-to-end production platform for ready-to-use diffractive optical elements. To find out more, we heard from Project Coordinator, Professor Stefano L. Oscurato of UNINA, on the project aims, impact and collaboration with Catalyze.

Enabling the next wave of photonics applications

Flat optics are planar photonic components that shape light using micro- and nanoscale surface structures. They can significantly reduce the size, weight, and complexity of future optical systems, yet large-scale adoption is constrained by manufacturing. As photonics becomes increasingly central to emerging applications – from mixed reality to quantum technologies and light-powered IoT – there is a growing need for fabrication methods that are not only higher performance, but also more flexible, efficient, and suitable for rapid, individualised design.

Professor Oscurato explains, “Current photosensitive materials used in lithography, such as photoresists or photo-deformable materials, present several technical limitations. After exposure, many of them absorb visible light, which can alter the optical performance of the final device and require additional fabrication steps to reach the desired functionality. Moreover, their relatively low refractive index limits the efficiency and performance of optical components.

“As a result, current manufacturing approaches do not enable the fabrication of optical devices that are fully optimised during the exposure process and ready for use immediately afterward. This complexity slows down large-scale production and deployment of flat optics, ultimately limiting the broader adoption of these technologies and Europe’s potential to take a leading role in next-generation photonics.”

A light-driven, programmable manufacturing approach

Beginning April 2026, HoloMorPh (‘Holographic surface Morphing for ready-to-use planar Photonic components’) will develop a fundamentally different route to manufacturing flat optics: new, tailor-made light-sensitive materials combined with meta-optics enhanced holography, enabling a process where the manufacturing tool is the light itself.

The concept is to replace static, multi-stage fabrication with a light-driven process that uses real-time all-optical metrology, AI, and a distributed cloud-based software to refine microstructured surfaces as they are being created. With development of this platform HoloMorPh can enable a highly efficient, compact, closed-loop manufacturing unit that can produce fixed or tunable optical elements on demand.

The HoloMorPh consortium aims to advance the technology from TRL 2 to TRL 4, conceptually developing and validating the lithographic framework through the fabrication of ready-to-use diffractive optical elements and a photonic device prototype for augmented reality.

“Our vision is to establish a new route for fabricating ready-to-use optical elements”

Professor Oscurato shares, “Our vision is to establish a new route for fabricating ready-to-use optical elements by bringing together leading experts from across Europe in a multidisciplinary framework of innovations. The EIC Pathfinder funding provides not only the resources to implement our ideas, but also a clear framework and a shared roadmap that guides us toward achieving our ambitious goal.”

For industries such as augmented reality, imaging, healthcare, automotive, data handling, and displays, HoloMorPh project will enable a shift toward customised lightweight hardware, produced cutting the traditional environmental footprint and cost.

A European consortium with complementary expertise

HoloMorPh brings together three universities, one research institute, and three SMEs across five European countries, combining expertise in materials science, photonics, advanced manufacturing, AI, and environmental science. The consortium is led by University of Naples Federico II (IT), together with Tampere University (FI), INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (PT), University of Granada (ES), LusoVU (PT), Holoeye (DE), and eLoop (IT).

Professor Oscurato comments,“Our consortium brings together a strong combination of expertise spanning materials chemistry, photonics, meta-optics, computational intelligence, optical device engineering, AR systems, and sustainability assessment. Academic partners such as UNINA, TAU, INESC, and UGR lead the scientific core, from light-responsive materials and holographic structuring to inverse design and AI integration.

“These strengths are matched by Holoeye’s industrial know-how, LusoVU’s AR expertise, and eLoop’s life-cycle assessment capabilities, creating a strong bridge between frontier research, scalable device development, and real-world impact.”

Collaboration with Catalyze

Catalyze supported the consortium throughout the proposal process. The submission was awarded in the most competitive EIC Pathfinder round ever, with 2087 submissions and an overall success rate of just 2.1%.

Professor Oscurato emphasises,“Catalyze provided valuable guidance throughout the proposal preparation process, helping the consortium build a clear overall vision of the technology and its innovation potential. Beyond proposal support, they also helped us identify the most promising commercial pathways and target markets.”