Photonic integration is emerging as a new standard for providing high-performance, miniaturised optical systems for a wide range of applications, among others in the thriving sector of vehicle autonomy. However, the potential of the sector is currently hampered by the availability of accurate simulation and validation tools for optoelectronic Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) design, which is why an exceptional improvement of PIC software tools and better modelling procedures and simulation tools for Process Design Kits (PDKs) are of the utmost importance. To foster the adoption of photonic based solutions in the automotive industry, the academic and industrial partners of DRIVE-In will work synergistically to generate a cohort of four young scientists with advanced inter-disciplinary skills in hybrid optoelectronic circuit designs and software simulation and modelling of Indium Phosphide-(InP)-based PICs. DRIVE-In will train four ESRs at two leading European academic institutions and three industrial companies, thus forming a strong interdisciplinary network between industry and technical sciences to overcome specific barriers in the intersection of the integrated photonics sector and the automotive industry. With combined skills in e.g. hybrid optoelectronic circuit designs and software simulation and modelling of InP-PICs, the DRIVE-In ESRs will contribute to overcoming the challenges related to hybridisation of integrated photonics and microelectronics, increasing PIC complexity, needs for high-performance FSO links and for software simulation and fast-generation layout models. The availability of professionals combining the DRIVE-In skills will directly fuel emerging optoelectronic PIC-based innovation and ensure its exploitation by the photonic industry in the automotive sector. Additionally, unique career opportunities will arise for the professionals involved in this technological step change in advanced InP-PIC design and simulation.

The security of data has never been more valuable. Today, cryptography is critical to the safe operation of digital infrastructures. However, yearly advances in quantum computing present new threats. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) may provide the best protection, an approach designed to ensure privacy using quantum information encoded on photons. In theory, QKD is proven secure. In practice, QKD systems deviate from this theoretical behaviour due to implementation. Currently, QKD requires a separate dark fibre due to its susceptibility to classical channel effects (e.g., noise, Kerr non-linear interference, and scattering effects). Separating QKD from classical optical signals is costly and impractical, keeping QKD a niche product. Therefore, network providers seek quantum security to coexist in existing classical optical infrastructure. A better understanding of a quantum/classical optical channel is needed to develop improved channel coding, robust error-correcting schemes, digital signal processing, and optoelectronic components for the transceivers. In addition, a study on network topologies and integrating classical to quantum signals on implementation security is needed. The doctoral research network - QuNEST aims to gather diverse industrial and academic partners with strong scientific and technical expertise in QKD technology and optical communications to establish a new, innovative, multi-disciplinary, training network for doctoral researchers (DR). With the high-level objective of training experts to design, develop, and drive the future quantum secure optical infrastructure forward. This doctoral network will train 11 DR fellows, leaning on the expertise of 17 partners: 6 universities, and 11 Industrial partners (i.e., 1 Simulation software provider, 2 Telecom operators, 2 SMEs and 6 hardware vendors). From 7 European countries, QuNEST provides a unique and timely opportunity to train students in quantum physics and optical communications

The annual global Internet traffic will 127-fold increase from 2005 to 2021, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 24% from 2016 - 2021. In the context of such extraordinary traffic growth, we are proposing the Wideband Optical Networks (WON) European Training Network, to promote international, inter-sectorial and multi/inter-disciplinary research activities and career development. WON will train 14 early-stage researchers (ESRs) in the area of wideband optical networks through collaboration of 14 academic and industrial highly qualified institutions. Solutions identified within WON will enable to overcome a possible traffic-crunch by achieving a 10-fold increase in the usable optical bandwidth of single-mode fibres. Being highly multidisciplinary, WON will cover all topics and expertise from design and development of photonic components, novel digital signal processing algorithms and system modelling to network and control management. WON is a doctoral-level training network that will benefit of rich interactions between the academia and industry. Eight academic and six industrial partners from nine different European countries will constitute the consortium The ESRs will benefit from a comprehensive training programme featuring inter-sectorial and multidisciplinary technical courses, rich transferable skills training and international inter-sectorial secondments with a strong focus on industrial experience. WON ESRs will be capable of leading interdisciplinary research activities with unique expertise on designing physical-layer-aware wideband optical communication networks. In this context, the WON training networks will serve as a European platform for outstanding doctoral training in the field of ultra-high capacity next generation optical networks.