On March 18, 2026, the BLOSSOM Project (Self-Sustained Photonic Systems through Autonomous LOSS Harvesting) officially launched in Vigo, Spain.
About the project
This four-year initiative, led by Gradiant and funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under the Pathfinder Open call, is set to redefine how we think about energy in optical systems.
The project develops specialized electro-optical transducers to capture internal energy losses, which are then stored and redistributed via an integrated Management Unit (PMU). This allows networks to scale exponentially without the typical “energy wall,” making them ideal for:
- Healthcare: Advanced medical imaging and diagnostics.
- Industry: Smart infrastructure and industrial autonomy.
- Environment & security: Resilient, self-sustained monitoring systems.
This is the second EIC project F6S Innovation has been involved in, being the success rate for the EIC Pathfinder Open challenge below 2%. Securing a spot in a competitive program underscores the importance of this research and the strength of the consortium that is behind it.
With a budget of €3 million, it is the first and only EIC Pathfinder Open project led by a Galician research technology organization (Gradiant).
Led by Marta Castro López, Scientific Coordinator and Head of Micro-Nanoelectronics and Photonics at Gradiant, who provides the expert leadership and research experience necessary to drive BLOSSOM towards its anticipated results.
Beyond its pioneering deep-tech research, BLOSSOM is committed to gender balance across the team and is investing in the next generation of scientific talents. This includes early career Researchers bringing fresh perspectives to the lab, such as Tiago Ribeiro and Álex Martínez (Gradiant ) and Dominika Niewczas, PhD Student (Lukasiewicz Network) who are supporting the project’s research.
BLOSSOM brings together six partners from four countries:
- Spain: Gradiant, Energhius, and CiTIUS-USC.
- Ireland: F6S Innovation.
- Portugal: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL).
- Poland: Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics.
F6S’ role in the project:
F6S is leading the Dissemination, Communication, and Exploitation activities, supporting the visibility of the project, early adopters’ engagement, and targeting high-impact markets where energy efficiency and technological sovereignty are critical drivers of innovation.
Follow BLOSSOM’s journey
As we embark on this four-year journey to push the boundaries of autonomous photonic processors, we invite you to follow our progress: