Summary

The Network of Excellence (NoE) e-Photon/One focuses on the 'Broadband for All' strategic objective of the IST 1st call, targeting network-oriented and system-oriented aspects of the optically enabled Broadband. It builds upon existing coordination activities among universities and research centers active in optical networking and transmission. Indeed, the proposal was formed merging two previous potential proposals in the same technical area called e-Photon and ONe. E-Photon was a broader consortium, including most major universities, research institutes and companies active in research on optical telecommunications and, in particular, on enabling photonic technologies. It was an initiative of eiTT, the European Institute of Telecommunication Technologies, which is a core group of 5 major University groups specialized in optical (and wireless) telecommunication. Members of eiTT (Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark; Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany;Technical University of Eindhoven, the Netherlands;Ghent University, Belgium; Politecnico di Torino, Italy) are already involved in a number of integration activities, leveraging their geographical proximity. ONe (the acronym stands for Optical Networks) was a consortium founded inside the IST DAVID project, gathering most major European research activities on optical networking. E-Photon/One brings together those e-Photon and One partners and their respective research groups with a proven excellence record that are active on photonic broadband research topics most relevant for the 1st call.

     

 

 

  

Objectives

 

The key objective of e-Photon/ONe is to establish a long-term collaboration between different partners, in terms of research, of infrastructure sharing, and of education and training. This will be pursued by long-term, regular exchanges of senior people between different institutes, e.g., academic personnel from one partner that will spend e.g. one day a month or one month a year with another institution and vice-versa. The inter-institutional collaboration may be also implemented by means of telematic technologies (e.g. videoconference, or tele-teaching) to alleviate difficulties that may arise because of geographic and time constraints, and to limit travel expenses.

 

The specific goals of the proposed e-Photon/One are related to research, integration and dissemination. They are given below.

 

Specific Research goals

 

Although it is understood that funding research is not a primary goal of a NoE, four joint research projects (JPs) have been defined for the first 18 months of e-Photon/ONe, so that the different partners can work together towards a few common goals. These projects will serve as a first step toward integration inside the NoE. They will focus on:

 

JP1: 'New designs for optical packet switching nodes'. It aims both at designing optical switching nodes (OXCs, optical packet switches), and at identifying the role of optics in traditional packet/circuit switches (e.g., switching fabrics in IP routers, or optical backplanes).

JP2: 'Dynamically reconfigurable access networks', including fiber in the access and FTTH, hybrid fiber-wireless and fiber-coax, very-low-cost optics, plastic fibers, wireless optics.

JP3: 'Protocols for the control plane in WDM networks', such as ASONs, G-MPLS, etc.

JP4: 'Robust transmission techniques for core and metro networks'

 

Specific integration goals

 

To focus the European research in optical networking

To stimulate the regular, short term exchanges of people between partners, aiming at the involvement of at least one person from every partner in such a scheme)

To stimulate the long term exchanges of young researchers between partners, aiming at the involvement of at least one young researcher from every partner

To stimulate the joint advising of PhD students

To stimulate the integration and sharing of lab infrastructures.

Specific dissemination goals

 

To organize a yearly summer school and a yearly winter school.

To organize workshops with these schools where young researchers can present their research work.

To establish a management committee for the ONDM conference (IFIP Working Conference on Optical Network Design and Modeling) and strong links with other international conferences on optical networking and communications.

To establish links with other EU-projects in the field, and with a number of industry associations or professional organizations.

To provide technical and research support to European manufacturers, vendors and operators.

To stimulate and support spin-offs from academic research.

 

     

 More information on:

http://www.e-photon-one.org/