The annual gathering entitled Europe's age of light – How photonics will power growth and innovation will discuss the opportunities that lie ahead in photonics research and innovation for its applied fields such as lasers, optical components, sensors, network components, LED's, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.

The two-day Photonics PPP Annual Meeting will discuss unlocking the potential that light technologies can offer, and focus on the strategic development for the missions of the PPP in Horizon Europe, the Research and Innovation Framework Program beyond Horizon 2020.

Dr Bernd Schulte and Photonics 21 Vice-President, Giorgio Anania will open the summit with a formal address at the Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels on Wednesday 27th March, discussing opportunities and challenges for photonics technologies across the next decade.

Home to works by the great masters such as van Dyck, Rubens and Bruegel, the Royal Museums, Brussels will provide a grand setting for the keynote speaker Carl Buhr, the European Commission's deputy head of cabinet.

Speaker: Nobel Prize Winner Professor Gérard Mourou

Notable speakers include Nobel Prize Winner Professor Gérard Mourou, with his Keynote Science Speech. Professor Mourou gained a Physics Nobel Prize for the invention of 'chirped pulse amplification' a technique used to create ultrashort-pulse, very high-intensity petawatt laser pulses.

Chairman of the Executive Board of JENOPTIK AG, Dr Stefan Traeger will provide a photonics industry view and discuss the future developments and challenges for light technologies.

The evening culminates in the official handing over of the new Photonics21 Multiannual Strategic Roadmap, an essential strategy for European photonics in preparation of Horizon Europe. The roadmap is the next development from the 2018 Vision Paper "Europe's Age of Light", in which more than 3000 members from over 1700 companies in our Photonics21 expert community were consulted.

On Day 2, the Square Brussels Convention Centre will host the latest announcements in policy and direction the Photonics PPP works on with its key stakeholders. The discussion for the future strategic direction of the PPP will be the focus of the General Assembly, followed by deliberations over photonics research and innovation priorities for the first calls under Horizon Europe.

Attendees can register for the Photonics Workshops on a variety of themes, including: Information & Communication, Industrial Manufacturing & Quality, Life Sciences & Health, Emerging Lighting, Electronics & Displays, Security, Metrology & Sensors, Design & Manufacturing of Components & Systems, Photonics Research, Education & Training, Automotive & Transport, and Agriculture & Food.

Download the event program, and register here.