• Funded by the European Union under the frame of the European Defence Fund, the SPIRIT project brings together 15 partners from 9 European countries. Its objective: develop a fully European supply chain for high-resolution infrared detectors to support the European Sovereignty. The project is scheduled to start at the end of 2026 and will run for four years.
  • With a total estimated cost of €39.16 million, SPIRIT will receive a maximum EU contribution of nearly €29 million, complemented by co-funding from Ministries of Defense and partners’ self-contribution.

Grenoble, France, May 26, 2026 – Access to the most advanced technologies required to design next-generation infrared detectors has become a critical issue for Europe. High development costs, low production volumes and the complexity of industrial processes make it a real challenge and require expertise and investment to be pooled at European level.

Against this backdrop, LYNRED, AIM and EXOSENS, Europe’s three leading suppliers of infrared detectors, have decided to join forces under the SPIRIT project, a strategic European initiative designed to further develop the fundamental technology building blocks for the next generation of infrared sensors.

Coordinated by LYNRED, a global leader in infrared imaging technologies, the project brings together 15 entities from 9 countries, including 8 large companies, 3 SMEs, 2 MidCaps and 2 RTOs. Together, they cover the entire value chain, from ROIC design to camera demonstration.

“SPIRIT will enable AIM to continue the development of advanced CMOS Read-Out Integrated Circuits (ROIC) based on European Silicon CMOS technology. The ROIC will be integrated in an IR-Sensor to make it usable for our customers to build advanced IR Systems,” said Rainer Breiter, vice-president, IR-Module programs, at AIM. “The availability of high-performance CMOS Read-Out Integrated Circuits (ROIC) is a key enabler for enhancing the performance of next generation IR-Sensors,” “We are looking forward to continue our successful work together with our existing and new partners on high-performance CMOS ROICs. The SPIRIT project will bring this technology to a new level and will demonstrate the capabilities of this advanced technology for IR-Sensors.”

“This project is the result of a structured, long-term coopetition within EDF’s portfolio of programmes. It provides the final push that enables European IR manufacturers to deliver state-of-the-art detectors for a range of infrared sensitive materials and 2D/3D CMOS architectures, backed by a robust European supply chain,” said Pierre Jenouvrier, Chief Officer of the Cooled-Products Unit at LYNRED. “Access to an advanced CMOS node is essential for every IR-sensor maker. Collaboration in this technology domain was absolutely necessary; the workload could not be shouldered by a single company.”

SPIRIT, the natural follow-up of previous HEROIC and ECOSYSTEM projects

The success of SPIRIT relies on technological breakthroughs delivered by the HEROIC and ECOSYSTEM projects, both conducted under the European Defence Fund framework. The objective is to bring these innovations to the final stage: raising Technology-Readiness Level by producing and testing demonstrators that are built from the technological bricks developed in the two preceding projects. .

SPIRIT proposes to build and deliver the first three infrared detectors using an advanced CMOS foundry for high performance ROICs (≥3 megapixels with a pixel pitch below 7 µm) supported by a fully sovereign EU-based supply chain.

“As a key contributor to the project, EXOSENS will leverage its expertise in advanced detection and imaging technologies to support the transition from research to industrial readiness. Over the next four years, SPIRIT will bring breakthrough innovations to operational maturity including the development of advanced semiconductor components, integration of multiple IR materials, and delivery of fully operational detector systems and camera prototypes tested in real-world environments. A core objective is to establish a fully European, end-to-end supply chain, from semiconductor design to camera systems, reducing reliance on external technologies and enabling faster deployment across defense platforms.”

These detectors will be integrated into four camera prototypes that will be tested by partners at Electro-Optic system level under real operating conditions, for applications including missile detection, drone detection, naval applications and camouflage detection.

Thanks to SPIRIT, the three leading European IR-detector manufacturers will be able to offer a broad portfolio of demonstrators covering a wide range of infrared wavelength bands—extended SWIR, MWIR T2SL and MCT—as well as a variety of video format and pixel pitch resolutions. These innovations will unlock new operational capabilities for European defense forces: extended detection ranges, real-time feedback, increased detectability of drones / extended range of c-UAS systems, versatility and ease of upgrade.

LYNRED, project coordinator leading a European coopetition approach

This project is part of a shared “coopetition” approach: pooling resources and costs to provide a European supply chain capable of producing advanced infrared sensors for future European defense platforms. This approach aims to strengthen European competitiveness, accelerate innovation and ensure European sovereignty. It will also facilitate the emergence of European standards that will promote interoperability and speed up product development.

Coordinator of SPIRIT, LYNRED will play a central role in steering the consortium and will mobilize its experts from detector manufacturing and packaging to the performance evaluation of advanced infrared sensors.

“LYNRED, as the leader of this consortium, has shown it can meet the long-term needs of future defense systems,” added Pierre Jenouvrier. “We are proud to take part in this game-changing initiative that strengthens European industrial sovereignty, and we look forward to unveiling our multi-megapixel sensor in the coming years.”