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07 Apr 2006
More money for the European photonics industries - from both private and public sources - as well as better coordination of the sector are vital if Europe's currently strong position in these markets is to flourish.
Increased public and private investment and a more coherent approach to organisation and development are required for Europe's photonics industries if they are to remain competitive internationally. These are just some of the conclusions of a new report on Europe's photonics R&D and business activities.
The first Photonics Strategic Research Agenda Towards a Bright Future for Europe has been finalised, it was announced at the Photonics Europe symposium in Strasbourg, France, on 4 April. The 160-page agenda was developed by the Photonics21 industry group. This body involves more than 350 experts from 27 countries, including 120 research centres and companies such as Alcatel-Thales, Bookham Technology, Fraunhofer Institutes, INTEC-IMEC, Jenoptik and Trumpf Laser.
The report states, "Considering the massive efforts in the USA and Asia, providing for sufficient European R&D investment in photonics is an indispensable prerequisite for the future success of the European photonics economy and its competitiveness."
Today, private R&D investment by the European photonics industry amounts to EUR 3.3 billion p.a. which represents about 9% of the overall annual turnover. However, European public investment in photonics is at a much lower level. The current ratio of public to private investment in collaborative photonics R&D is about 1:15 which is extremely low compared to other sectors.
The report stresses two clear actions heading its set of recommendations: The overall investment in collaborative photonics R&D must be increased to keep up with the global competitors; and the public/private investment ratio in photonics R&D needs to be adjusted in favor of public funding.
The members of Photonics21 are convinced that jointly implementing the recommendations and significantly increasing the R&D investment in photonics will have a "major positive impact" on meeting the goals of the European Lisbon Strategy and lead to sustainable growth.
The report presents the basis for a common strategy to consolidate Europe's global market leadership in photonics. The strategy is intended to serve as the foundation on which R&D expenditure and activities will be increased and coordinated at European, national and regional level.
Photonics21 believes that Europe's ability to remain competitive in the high-tech arena is "at stake", as is the competitiveness of major European photonics companies who employ a large segment of the continent's leading researchers, scientists and engineers in this field.
Presenting the SRA, Alexander von Witzleben, Photonics 21 president (and managing director of Jenoptik), asked Viviane Reding, the European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, for a combination of funding and policy reform with regard to the photonics sector.
Photonics 21 believes that the threat from US and Asian companies against European developers of photonics systems is increasing. "Although Europe's photonics industries have some coordination at the national level, we need to have better coordination across the EU," von Witzleben said.
"Europe is in a strong position in the photonics market overall but we need to speed and increase our R&D efforts. As Asia - in particular - improves in this area Europe will not stay where we are without taking action. The US and Asia spend four times as much as Europe on R&D in the field of photonics. Those countries have also advanced considerably in recent years thanks to their concerted and well-structured policies," he said.
For example, Europe seems to be losing the game to Asia in the field of LCD displays. On the other hand, in some areas there has been a lot of public investment in photonics giving European companies leading positions. These include: solid state lighting, where European companies supply more than 30% of the world market, and laser-assisted manufacturing, where EU-based companies hold at least 50% of the world market.
The Photonics21 recommendations have two core aspects: higher European and national expenditure on research and development in the photonics, and a pan-European strategic approach.
At the Strasbourg event (which ran between 3-7 April), EU-Commissioner Viviane Reding said she accepted the SRA. Ultimately responsible for technology funding recommendations to the EC, Reding emphasised the need for the continent to link research to the delivery of innovation, economic growth and jobs in Europe. "Europe must concentrate its efforts on areas that show great promise, that are of strategic importance and where a great return on investment can be expected," she said.
The commissioner acknowledged that photonics is one of these areas. She added that while Europe already employs more than two million people in the photonics and related industries, the potential for photonics-enabled advancements in the areas of health care, lighting, security, and other applications offers "unlimited potential for job creation and economic development in Europe". She also expects that the strategic importance of photonics technology will create new markets.
Reding concluded her comments with a challenge to industry to strengthen its investments in R&D to match the higher investments made in other regions of the world.
Key recommendations of the SRA
1. European photonics industry and academia need to join forces under a strong European umbrella. The members of Photonics21 see a need for a more structured approach and concerted action. Funding must be tailored to the needs and requirements of the economy, to ensure that the results of increased R&D activities are more efficiently translated into successful market products. Photonics21 says the way to achieve this is through closer collaboration between the photonics industry, research, the funding agencies and the European Union.
2. An increased public and private investment in photonics is needed. The European photonics companies of Photonics21 announced at Photonics Europe plans to increase their own spending on R&D by ?330 million per annum. The member companies demanded that the increase be linked with a strong focus on photonics in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and an associated doubling of European Union funding.
In addition, the members of Photonics21 are calling for a doubling of funds from the national support programs over the next five years. FP7, the EU's primary means of funding scientific research and technological development over the period 2007 to 2013, is one of the most important elements in achieving the Lisbon agenda for growth and competitiveness.
3. Clear responsibility for photonics within the European Commission is needed.
4. A mirror group involving the relevant public authorities and funding bodies throughout Europe needs to be installed. In spite of the diversity of the disciplines involved and the fields of application addressed, there is an urgent need for a common approach for photonics R&D in Europe.
5. Leading-edge research and innovation requires involvement and cooperation along the whole economic value chain - from the exploration of the underlying techniques to the development of marketable products.
6. Cross-sectoral issues need to be linked with application-oriented issues.
7. Synergies between different fields of application have to be utilised.
8. Substantial attention should be given to the fact that photonics communities and coalitions emerge in many parts of the world (e.g. in the US, Japan and Australia) and develop common strategies while photonics in Europe is still widely fragmented.
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