Photonics is on a path to making the 21st century the century of the photon, according to the recently released roadmap from Photonics21. Photonics is playing a major, disruptive role by changing the way we receive healthcare, manufacture goods, communicate, use resources and light our homes. The various technologies that make up the photonics industry are providing solutions to socio-economic challenges such as an aging society, energy generation and efficiency, food safety, security. The global photonics market is approximately €300 billion ($461.46 US), with Europe holding about 20% of the global market and as high as 40% in specific areas such as lighting. According to "Key Enabling Technologies," a report prepared for the European Commission, the photonics industry is thriving in Europe, with an expected compound annual growth rate is 8% and for green photonics the rate is close to 20%.
Photonics is playing a major, disruptive role.
Public-private partnership
The European photonics industry employs about 290,000 people. Approximately 20 to 30% of the economy and 10% of the workforce depend on photonics. Not surprisingly, the European Commission identified photonics as being a key enabling technology (KET) for Europe. Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, was developed in 2011 with the goal of stabilising the financial and economic system in Europe while creating economic opportunities. The programme was launched with a budget of 80 billion to invest in research and innovation. In 2012 the Photonics Public Private Partnership (PPP) was formed within the Horizon 2020 framework, with an investment of €7 billion (€5.6 billion is from the private sector and €1.4 billion is from the European Commission).
EU policies that support research, demonstration, and application are crucial for spurring Europe’s competitiveness.
At the time the PPP was launched, European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes said, "Europe needs to face up to the challenges of a rapidly globalising economy. The photonics sector can unleash massive economic potential and help deliver the Digital Agenda for Europe. EU policies that support research, demonstration, and application are crucial for spurring Europe’s competitiveness. A Public Private Partnership in Photonics, based on a serious commitment from industry, will help to unlock Europe’s innovation potential and bring to market products that will shape our future world and our future economy"
Moving forward
The Photonics21 roadmap identifies priority research areas including photonic integration, technologies for cost-effective manufacturing of components and subsystems, semiconductor optical device technology and new materials. The roadmap lists areas where disruptive technology breakthrough advances are needed in order to generate solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. These include nanophotonics, quantum optics and quantum information, extreme light as well as organic and large-area electronics.
Understanding that no technology moves forward without skilled researchers, part of the Photonics PPP initiative will include addressing the issues of education, training and skills development. To move technologies from the research lab into commercial products will require an open innovation process. Another objective is to grow photonics manufacturing in Europe. The PPP partnership aims to pool academic, industry and public resources in a manner not seen previously.
Market solutions must be the end result.
Bridging the gap
While Europe is a leader in research, development and manufacturing in many of the sectors that comprise the photonics industry, Europe overall must bridge the gap between innovation in photonics to industrial deployment that generates jobs. To do so, research and development must be done with the end result in mind, which is integration into relevant, needed products. Photonics research of all types is necessary, but market solutions must be the end result in order for new European-developed technologies to address global challenges. We will soon provide details from the VDMA report to be released today at Laser World of Photonics 2013.
Written by Anne Fischer, Managing Editor, Novus Light Technologies Today
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