Dear Photonics21 members,

A challening year lies behind us. In our last newsletter edition 2020 we like to inform you that Photonics21 has published an interesting article in cooperation with Executive Board member Professor Jürgen Popp "Invest in photonics now to fight infectious diseases and future pandemics". 

As a reaction to the proposed science budget cuts by the European Commission, three photonics Nobel Laureates have recently sent a letter to Vice-President Commissioner Vestager, Commissioner Breton, Commissioner Gabriel and the College of European Commissioners warning that jobs, economic growth, and lifesaving healthcare will be at risk.

The update of the new Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda "New Horizons Securing Europe's technological sovereignty through Photonics" has now been finalized and was provided to the European Commission. You can now view and download this document.

Furthermore, we like to provide you a summary of our successful online event "Photonics21 towards Horizon Europe" which was held on 5th November 2020 and like to inform you on the results of the Photonics21 Board of Stakeholder election 2020.

Apply now  and participate in the open call by INNO4COV-19 to support the commercialisation of new products across Europe for combatting COVID-19.

We also like to inform you that the Photonics Digital Innovation Hub secures €19 million to boost SME growth and ensure Europe's global competitiveness.

If you like to inform the European photonics community on an interesting photonics news or event, please contact us via secretariat@photonics21.org .

We like to wish you a nice and relaxing Christmas season and wish you all the best for 2021!

Stay healthy and best regards

Photonics21 secretariat

Invest in photonics now to fight infectious diseases and future pandemics

Strong investment in photonics will help us fight infectious diseases that kill an unimaginable number of people and prepare us against future pandemics, says Dr Jürgen Popp of the Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI) that is currently under construction in Jena.

COVID-19 has shown us that we, as a species in many regions of the world have been unprepared for a dangerous pandemic.

Nobel Laureates warn jobs, economic growth, and lifesaving healthcare at risk due to proposed EC science budget cuts

Three of the world's most eminent scientists have criticised the European Commission's intention to drastically cut photonics funding over the next seven years. Digital innovation which drives economic growth and creates jobs all across Europe will be at risk if the budget to fund the enabling technologies in photonics is slashed.

In a stark warning, the Nobel Prize Winners say cutting investment in photonics – which is essential for powering high critical sectors like health, aerospace and transport – will be disastrous for Europe's technological goals.

Update of the Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda finalized and provided to the European Commission

By the end of November the update of the Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda "New Horizons Securing Europe's technological sovereignty through Photonics" was finalized and provided to the European Commission in preparation of the new Photonics Partnership under Horizon Europe.

The update of the document contains two political introductory chapters which have been streamlined according to the political guidelines of the von der Leyen Commission such as the Green Deal and a Europe fit for the Digital Age. The updated version of the Photonics Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda further reflects the new Photonics21 work group structure. You can now view and download this document.

More than 250 participants joint the online event Photonics21 towards Horizon Europe

More than 250 European photonics experts joint the successful online event "Photonics21 towards Horizon Europe" which was held on 5th November 2020 from 10.00 - 12.00 am.

The European photonics community was informed by the European Commission on the latest developments towards a new European Photonics Partnership in Horizon Europe. The Photonics21 secretariat informed on the latest Photonics21 activities as well as the new structure of the Photonics21 platform. In the further meeting Tematys provided some insights and first results of the European photonics market study which is currently in its final stages and will be published at the beginning of 2021. Finally, Photonics21 Executive Board member Hugo Thienpont who will be coordinating the new European project PhotonHub Europe informed the participants on the structure and aims of the projects.

Photonics21 welcomes 18 newly elected Photonics21 Board of Stakeholder members

By the closing date of 6th October 2020 a total number of 155 Photonics21 voters participated in the two weeks Photonics21 Board of Stakeholder online election. This corresponds to a voting rate of 82,45 percent.

18 organisations and member representatives have been elected into the Board of Stakeholders:

- Augustin, Luc, SMART Photonics B.V.
- Baillard, Xavier, VALEO VISION
- Baladi, Pierre Institut d'Optique Graduate School
- Bakopoulos, Paraskevas, Nvidia Networking
- Calefati, Paolo Prima Industrie SpA
- Carpintero, Guillermo, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- de Rampos Campos, José Antonio, LASEA SA
- Fulber,t Laurent, CEA-Leti
- Kiontke, Sven, asphericon GmbH
- Muller, Antoine, Alpes Lasers S.A.
- Nasserddine, Victoria, TiHive SAS
- Perenzoni, Matteo, Fondazione Bruno Kessler
- Pierściński, Kamil, Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Electron Technology
- Rousso, Haim Photonics Israel
- Süptitz, Wenko SPECTARIS – German Industry Association for Optics, Photonics, Analytical and Medical Technologies e.V.
- Taroni, Paola, Politecnico di Milano
- Vahrenkamp, Torsten, ficonTEC Service GmbH
- Valic, Ziga, Pôle de compétitivité photonique et imagerie OPTITEC

Apply now - Open call by INNO4COV-19 to support the commercialisation of new products across Europe for combatting COVID-19

The €6.1 million EU-funded project INNO4COV-19 is committed to supporting the commercialisation of new products across Europe for combatting COVID-19 over the next two years.

Looking for the fast development of products - from medical technologies to surveillance solutions - the project will boost innovation to tackle the new coronavirus, reinforcing Europe's technological leadership, and invigorating an industrial sector capable of protecting citizens' safety and well-being.

Officially starting on October 1, the 11-partner consortium led by INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, is looking for efficient and fast solutions that can help in the fight against COVID-19 jointly with the other actively involved industrial and RTO partners. The mission of INNO4COV-19 is to create a "lab-to-fab" platform and a collaboration resource where companies and reference laboratories will find the tools for developing and implementing innovative technologies - from idea assessment to market exploitation.

Photonics Digital Innovation Hub secures €19 million to boost SME growth and ensure Europe’s global competitiveness

• PhotonHub Europe – a new pan-European photonics digital innovation hub –has been awarded €19 million investment from the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.
• PhotonHub Europe will help European SMEs and mid-caps become highly competitive digital businesses through faster and smarter deployment of photonics-based technologies, directly creating over 1.000 new high-tech EU jobs and nearly €1 billion in new revenues and venture capital by 2025.

"Photonics is essential to the functioning of new applications which are powering the new industrial wave – Industry 4.0 – and which are also critical to our ability to fundamentally address the enormous global societal and environmental challenges of our times", said Prof Hugo Thienpont, Director of Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and overall coordinator of PhotonHub Europe. "European industry needs to be at the forefront in innovating with photonics, making the most of our combined strengths across all parts of the innovation value chain, and working collaboratively across all member states, to support European business innovation and growth.

Join - Online Event Photonics for ... Water Industry Challenges, 26th January 2020

The "Photonics for..." webinar series, in partnership with Hamamatsu Photonics and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, will look at photonics technologies in a variety of sectors and applications. Speakers from industry and academia will highlight the latest developments and KTN will provide an overview of the landscape and funding opportunities for each area.

The series is aimed at companies and researchers developing photonics technology, and at end-users looking to solve challenges and to produce innovative products and services. Its main aim is to bring together photonics specialists with end-users, therefore there will be bookable one-to-one online meetings running across the whole series to support collaboration.

Save the Date for our Photonics Online Meetings #3

After the success of our first two editions with each time more than 250 participants (including 25% international) and more than 80% satisfaction regarding the quality of the meetings, save the date for our Photonics Online Meetings #3, on May 11th 2021! A day of business meetings on a European scale, between principals and suppliers of the photonics industry, completed with product and service webinars.

With a stronger international dimension, this 3rd part will allow even more networking with the support of many European associations including: AEIT-Corifi, Photonics Austria, Photonics Netherlands, Photonics Sweden, Optonics, Litek, Spectaris, OpTecNet, Photonics Hub GmbH and OptecBB. The objective is to facilitate and support meetings in the current uncertain context by providing solutions to future challenges.

Don't wait, book in your agenda the day of May 11th!