Photonics Sprint Campaign launch event

Описание: Photonics, the science and technology of light, underpins many of the critical systems we rely on every day, from the internet and medical imaging to advanced manufacturing and consumer electronics. With a market worth £18.5 billion and employing over 84,000 people, photonics is increasingly central to the UK’s ambitions in fields like AI, quantum, defence and green technologies, but for the UK to lead the next wave of photonics innovation, greater collaboration is essential across disciplines, sectors and technologies.

techUK's five-month Photonics sprint campaign is set to explore how the UK can lead in the development and deployment of photonics by enhancing stakeholder awareness and promoting cross-sector collaboration through a series of panel discussions, workshops, roundtables, networking sessions, blogs/vlogs, and tech demos.

To launch the campaign, this webinar gives an overview of how stakeholders, techUK members, and the wider photonics ecosystem can get involved in the pipeline of activity. It also invites industry experts to outline how emerging trends and technologies are shaping the future of photonics.

Dr Justyna Lisinska (Specialist Policy Officer, CORNERSTONE) gives an overview of the UK photonics sector and talks about CONERSTONE’s Photonics Innovation Centre, an open access prototyping facility for industry and academics specialising in silicon photonics.

Daniel Burt (Innovation Consultant, Plexal) discusses the UK’s vibrant photonics ecosystem and highlights specific instances in which the UK may wish to invest if it is to lead on key photonics capabilities in the future. Specific case studies include Scottish capabilities in SPAD (single-photon avalanche diode) and the role of photonics in enabling neuromorphic computing and AI.

techUK’s Photonics sprint campaign, a five-month initiative running from September 2025 to January 2026, is designed to accelerate innovation, spark cross-sector partnerships and showcase best practice from techUK’s members and stakeholders. Please visit the link above or email [email protected] for more information.