12 November 2025

The CDTI Innovation publishes a public procurement tender for the development of advanced SPAD detectors for astronomical observation

The entity requesting this tender, launched in the modality of Pre-commercial Public Procurement, is the CSIC through the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA)
It has a base budget of 14,492,745.78 € (VAT included) and will be developed over an estimated period of 37 months

Deadline for submission of tenders until 09/12/2025 at 11:00 hours

The CDTI Innovation, an entity under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, has published in the Public Sector Contracting Platform (PLACSP) the tender for Pre-commercial Public Procurement (PPC) of R&D services for the development of innovative solutions in the field of advanced SPADs (Single Photon Avalanche Diodes) detectors, aimed at improving astronomical observation capabilities.

This action is financed from CDTI Innovation’s own funds and with cofinancing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), within the framework of its commitment to the promotion of business R&D and public-private collaboration in technological development.

The aim of the tender is to promote the research and development of new photonic detection technologies, aimed at improving the sensitivity, precision and efficiency of observation systems used in astronomy and other high-impact scientific fields. This initiative seeks to advance the technology of single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), capable of detecting very low intensity signals, even up to a single photon, and measuring their arrival time with high temporal resolution.

The solutions currently available on the market are mainly oriented to industrial applications, and do not fully comply with the specific requirements of astronomical observation, which requires detectors with a high number of pixels, filling factor close to 100%, high detection efficiency and very high temporal resolution.

The technological challenge posed by the State Agency Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) through the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA) aims to open new horizons in astronomy, allowing the observation and study of ultra-fast events and transient phenomena, as well as the implementation of intensity interferometry with several optical telescopes separated up to 1 km, to reach spatial resolutions in the range of microseconds of arc.

To achieve these objectives, the development of SPAD detectors with high photon detection efficiency in a wide spectral range and unprecedented temporal resolution in the picosecond range is required, contributing to scientific and technological advancement in advanced astronomical instrumentation.

The deadline for submission of tenders is until 09/12/2025 at 11:00 hours. Details and place of presentation in the Public Sector Contracting Platform.

Interested companies can send their queries or requests for clarification through the PLACSP, in the “Questions and answers” tab of the tender announcement, or by email to contratacion.cpi@cdti.es, indicating in the subject “CALL FOR TENDERS DETECTORS SPADs”.

In this link you can get more information.

CDTI Innovation

The CDTI Innovation is the Agency of the Ministry of Science and Innovation and Universities that supports knowledge-based innovation, advising and offering public funding for innovation through grants or partially reimbursable grants for innovation projects and managing pre-commercial public procurement projects. Through the Innvierte Sustainable Economy initiative, in addition, the CDTI Innovation supports and facilitates the capitalization of technological companies.

The CDTI Innovation also facilitates the internationalization of R&D and innovation business projects of Spanish companies and entities and manages the participation of Spanish companies in international R&D bodies, such as Horizonte Europa and Eureka, and in the Science and Space industries.

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, E.P.E. (CDTI) is a public entity dependent on the Ministry of Science and Innovation and Universities.

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