Site opens way to leading optics technology

17 Jun 2002

People seeking research partners or supply sources from world leading experts in the UK and Ireland will find details on ALERTT, a new Web resource unveiled on 15 July 1999.

ALERTT enables anybody to search the British optics industry and find contact details for each company, research group and organization listed. In addition, the site provides a 200 or 300 word description and a list of areas of expertise for each entry. The site also hopes to encourage discussion via a message board.

ALERTT has been set up for the UK Consortium for Photonics and Optics. This group is made up of separate British organizations involved in the optics industry and arose from a combined meeting in the summer of 1998. It is a forum for exchanging ideas between members.

Geoff Hogan, project leader of ALERTT, said that the consortium was modelled on the corresponding US organization, the US Coalition for Photonics and Optics. The two organizations have strong links.

Germany is considering a similar project to promote its optics industry. The proposal is known as Optics 21 and may follow a different model from those of the British and US organizations.

In Japan a collaboration known as RIPE aims to study materials and metrology aspects of photonics. The collaboration was started in 1997 and involves government organizations, selected companies and Osaka University.

SH