The research on terahertz technology has become one of the emerging fields due to the unique properties that it offers, presenting enabling alternatives in imaging, spectroscopy, and communication applications. Increasing research activities in the field also brings the need for high performance components that operate in the terahertz regime, the most important of which are the high performance sources and detectors. Photomixing is one of the most commonly used methods for terahertz generation and detection, which employs an ultrafast semiconductor substrate integrated with an antenna. The state-of-the-art photomixer antennas have either a low radiation resistance in a wide band or a high radiation resistance in a narrow band, both of which introduce a significant reduction in the amount of terahertz power generated or detected. Possible antenna reconfigurability options to overcome these issues have not been investigated so far due to the lack of high performance switching elements in the terahertz band, which could boost the antenna, and hence, photomixer performance significantly. Moreover, electronically controlled beam steering possibilities, which could enhance the system performance radically in terahertz imaging and communication applications, have not been studied to date, which also requires high performance switching elements. In this project, we aim to develop, for the first time, beam steerable and frequency reconfigurable photomixer antenna array for terahertz generation and detection. Beam steering and frequency reconfiguration will be achieved by means of nano-actuators, which is expected to provide high performance switching at terahertz frequencies. The nano-actuators that we target to develop will be the smallest ones reported up to date, which is mandatory to integrate them into the very small antenna dimensions. The proposed project will be a high level of interdisciplinary research between optics, electronics, and mechanical engineering.

The concept of PandeVITA enables knowledge transfer between society and science inside of the quadruple helix on the European level. With help of the PandeVITA app, the consortium will create and execute an innovative evaluation concept based on different feedback categories to measure social awareness and acceptability of scientific recommendations and advices. This will include a concept for RRI standards which excludes the uncontrolled transfer of sensitive data provided by citizens for scientific purposes. The PandeVITA project is structured in five stages. After a short stage 1 where basic project preparations will be executed, good practise analysis and framework developments will be proceeded in stage 2. This includes case studies about public health systems in four different countries, comparative reviews about applications which are already developed, and specifications of all data to be collected throughout the project regards privacy, trust, improvements, storage and other areas relevant for the Data Management Plan and for communication, dissemination and exploitation. Stage 3 is mainly dedicated to comparative and case studies where legal and ethical frameworks in different countries as well as decisions and sanctions of politics during the COVID-19 crisis analysed and different case studies about co-operations between science and society in health sectors during the COVID-19 crisis as well as societal voluntariness of participation and trust in knowledge exchange between science and society during the COVID-19 pandemic will be executed. Beside the PandeVITA app and platform will be developed which will be evaluated in stage 4 regarding usability, user experience and adoption as well as efficiency and effectiveness. In the last stage 5, final releases of the PandeVITA app and platform will be proceeded and an exploitation plan will be developed before PandeVITA becomes an independent and everlasting community.