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UK photonics strategy seeks commercial success

14 Jul 2006

A wide-ranging review of photonics activity in the UK has revealed that fragmentation in the industry is limiting the potential for large-scale commercial success.

The UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to the photonics community with the launch of a strategic review of optics-based activity throughout the country. The Photonics Strategy Group, which carried out the review on behalf of the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI), acknowledged the strength of technical innovation in the UK and highlighted the strong growth that is predicted for photonics products worldwide, but warned that fragmentation in the commercial sector could limit the UK's ability to capitalize on those opportunities.

"The UK has excellent research credentials in photonics, but it lacks a coherent and co-ordinated strategy for developing and applying the technology," said Ian Vance, chair of the strategy group, at a launch event in London on Thursday.

Figures collated by the strategy group over the past year indicate the cause of the problem. Some 70% of photonics companies in the UK employ less than 10 people, while a further 22% have fewer than 50 staff. Couple that with increased diversification in the wake of the telecoms downturn, and a picture emerges of an unconnected industry that is ill-equipped to build strategic partnerships that would enable commercialization of early-stage products.

One new initiative to address his problem is the formation of a Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), which was also launched at the event. One of twenty KTNs set up by the DTI, the Photonics KTN will receive £3.3 m over the next three years to encourage collaboration between academic and industrial partners with complementary skills and expertise. It will run alongside the established UK Displays and Lighting KTN.

"The key objective will to bring together the creators of knowledge with the users of that knowledge," said Julian Jones of Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, who has played a central role in setting up the Photonics KTN. "I think it will be quite a tough challenge."

Other tasks will be to identify and catalogue all photonics activity in the UK, develop a roadmap for the photonics industry, and ensure effective communication between the photonics community and funding agencies, training providers and regional development organizations. Jones also hopes to organize an annual conference that will bring together different communities within the photonics sector.

But the Photonics KTN is only one element of the strategy that has been formulated by the Photonics Strategy Group. Other key recommendations are to:

• Establish an industry/government strategic body - provisionally called the Photonics Leadership Group - to act as the UK "voice" for photonics. This will essentially be formed from the current strategy group, and will become the main force that will drive forward the other recommendations.

• Ensure the supply of highly skilled photonics staff. Geoff Archenhold of the DTI also pointed out that firms need better management and leadership skills to become large and successful businesses.

• Raise the profile of photonics in the UK, both within the UK and internationally.

• Ensure that the UK remains an attractive location for existing photonics activities, as well as for inward investment by global photonics organizations.

• Identify a series of "grand challenges", similar to those set by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, that are aligned to future needs in areas such as healthcare, security and energy efficiency. The London 2012 Olympics was highlighted as one example where new photonics technologies could be showcased.

Although the photonics strategy on its own does not promise any extra funds for the photonics community, Archenhold commented that engaging end users of optics-based technologies - such as the healthcare and defense sectors - could open up substantial new sources of funds. He cited an £80 m project in the health service for assistive technologies, which could include optical communications systems and optics-based instruments that could be used in the home. "Photonics is missing out on these opportunities," he said.

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