PICadvanced and the EIC Accelerator: Faster Fibre to the Home

PICadvanced, founded in 2014 as a spin-off of Portugal's Instituto de Telecomunicações by António Teixeira, Francisco Rodrigues and Ana Tavares and based in Ílhavo near Aveiro, makes optical transceivers for passive optical networks, the fibre systems that connect homes and businesses, starting with the NG-PON2 standard. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's June 2023 cut-off with blended finance; the EIC's award was reported as €17.4 million, according to the Instituto de Telecomunicações. The grant part is €2.44 million for PIC-FAST, a €3.49 million project from March 2024 to February 2027 to build photonic integrated circuits that combine the optical network unit and terminal into one product, according to CORDIS.

The first report, to February 2025, says PICadvanced explored several photonic chip architectures and hybrid silicon-photonics approaches, and showed a 40 Gbps NG-PON2 demonstration and a preliminary 50G PON proof of concept at the OFC 2025 conference, "both of them first of a kind in the industry", according to the CORDIS reporting page. It promises "a completed, qualified and demonstrated transceiver" ready for production scale-up by the end of the project in February 2027.

Where PICadvanced Stands Now

PICadvanced sells NG-PON2 transceivers, including through an online store, and says it targets "existing and future PON technologies", according to its website. The site lists recognition as the 13th fastest-growing company in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 in 2024 and Portuguese SME Growth status for 2025 and 2026. Its €4 million Series A in 2020 was led by Verizon Ventures, according to Verizon. No round since the EIC award has been announced, and its accounts were not reviewed for this article.

The Technology: Putting the Optics on a Chip

Fibre access is moving to 10 Gbps and, next, 25 and 50 Gbps standards, the report says. The optical modules at each home are traditionally built from discrete components in a bi-directional optical sub-assembly. PICadvanced integrates those functions on photonic chips and adds the processor that would normally sit in a separate box, which it says uses less energy, fewer components and less space.

What the EIC Award Promises, and What the Record Shows

The project runs until February 2027. At its halfway point PICadvanced had working demonstrations beyond its baseline target but not yet a qualified product. The final test, a transceiver qualified for production, is still ahead. Whether the EIC Fund has invested the larger equity part of the award has not been announced.

1. PIC architecturesDeliveredSeveral explored.
2. High-speed demonstrationsDeliveredOFC 2025.
3. Qualified transceiverPendingDue February 2027.
4. EIC equityUnverifiedNot announced.

The Money

The EU grant covers 70% of the project. The €17.4 million award implies an equity component of about €15 million, far larger than the grant; no investment by the EIC Fund in PICadvanced has been announced.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Faster fibre for homes and businesses needs millions of optical modules, and the report says integrated photonics can make them cheaper and more efficient. A Portuguese company designing them on photonic chips gives Europe a foothold in that supply chain. The EIC has committed heavily; the result arrives in 2027.

The Verdict

PICadvanced and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.