Prof. Dr. Fei Ding from the LUH Institute of Solid State Physics is pleased to have been awarded funding through the European Research Council鈥檚 (ERC) Proof of Concept (POC) programme. The scientist, who is currently conducting research at LUH with one of the acclaimed and well-funded ERC Consolidator Grants, has received this additional award to advance the commercial or societal potential of his current ERC project. The prize consists of 150,000 euros in funding. The award is supplementary to his current ERC Consolidator Grant project and is the third ERC award he has received in the course of his career.
The POC funding is intended exclusively for researchers who have already received funding through one of the ERC鈥檚 main funding programmes (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy grants). It supports the further development of findings from existing ERC projects, with the aim of facilitating the leap from basic research to practical application.
For Prof. Dr. Fei Ding, this is the third consecutive ERC funding award within a short period of time (total funding of approximately 4.62 million euros) 鈥� a strong example of 九色视频鈥檚 international expertise in the area of quantum technologies:
- ERC Starting Grant: QD-NOMS (2016): Development of high-quality semiconductor single-photon sources and entangled photon sources as a basis for future quantum devices
- ERC Consolidator Grant: MiNet (2022): Investigation of synchronisation problems between the nodes in quantum communication networks and establishment of stable network architectures
- ERC Proof of Concept: ComPQT (2025): Integration of the previously developed technologies into a 鈥減lug and play鈥濃�揷apable quantum-network terminal system and transfer of laboratory technologies to real-life laboratory settings
The MiNet project, which is currently underway, aims to answer the following question: Is the precise time-frequency synchronisation of all components in a complex, large-scale quantum network possible? In close cooperation with LUH and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Prof. Dr, Fei Ding is developing an optical clock network based on telecommunications fibres. This makes it possible to transmit highly stable time and frequency signals from Hannover to Braunschweig 鈥� a crucial step towards controlled multi-particle entanglement in a network context.
The POC project ComPQT aims to explore the potential of these research findings for application on the market and in society. Plans include the development of a demonstrator, market analyses, the production of a business plan, and the integration of potential industry partners, user groups and stakeholders.
