“Global Sensing Network enabled by Passive Noiseless Amplification” (SENSE) project aims at developing an innovative fibre-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) architecture completely compatible with contemporary telecom infrastructure worldwide.

Our planet is interlaced with a vast network of optical fibres, forming the backbone of modern telecommunications. Leveraging that massive infrastructure as a global sensing network may be truly transformational, leading to unprecedented means for advanced link surveillance, geophysical and climate exploration and public safety enhancement with minimal investment. While the potential of DAS is breathtaking due to its high sensitivity, excellent localization capabilities and linearity, the compatibility between data transmission and distributed sensing remains a fundamental, unsolved problem. Current approaches for increasing the limited range of DAS (~100 km) induce crosstalk on data channels, while the need for ultra-narrow linewidth lasers critically elevates their cost, preventing their massive deployment.

María Rosario Fernández Ruiz plan to solve this compatibility challenge by incorporating a disruptive signal processing methodology derived from the Fourier optics discipline in distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems.

This methodology involves a passive amplification arrangement with denoising capabilities based on temporal Talbot array illuminators (T-TAI). T-TAI processing will allow reduce additive and phase noise by 30 dB, with unparalleled impact on operation range and relaxation of laser linewidth requirements. In long-haul links, a smart WDM architecture and specific TTAI-based optical repeaters will be designed, ensuring the co-existence of DAS and data traffic on the same fibre along transoceanic links (>1000 of km) with minimal infrastructure modifications. In short-haul links, the cost of DAS interrogators will be reduced by a factor of 100, in line with the cost of current transceivers.

The new DAS architecture will enable a live global sensing network with outstanding impact on economy, climate and wellbeing of society.

Among the winners in this new round of prestigious EU funding via the European Research Council are researchers of more than 50 nationalities, all advancing knowledge across a wide range of scientific fields. Forty-two percent of the winning proposals are led by women.

This competition attracted 3 928 proposals, marking a 13% increase in demand from last year’s Starting Grant call and only 12% of them are being funded, even if many more are excellent. The successful candidates plan to carry out their projects at universities and research centres across 25 countries. They come from Europe and beyond, with 51 different nationalities amongst the grantees, notably Germans (87 researchers), Italians (55), French (33), and UK and Spanish researchers (32 each).

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants and Synergy Grants. With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe programme.

Researchers wishing to apply to the ERC Starting Grant call for proposals for 2026 with a deadline of 14 October 2025 or who have any questions about this call for proposals are kindly requested to contact the European Projects Office: proyectos.europeos@uah.es