Photonics
Photonics is the science and technology of light. This includes lasers, optical systems and components, as well as fibre optics. Photonics is a £13.5 billion industry in the UK, with the technology used across various UK industries and in society, from optical communications and data storage to laser sensors for autonomous vehicles.
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The Innovate UK Business Connect Enabling Technologies team supports 1,500+ photonics and photonics-enabled companies, and the vibrant UK photonics research base in the UK.
Our people create connections between photonics professionals and end-users in various sectors, from healthcare to AgriFood. This helps them fast-track the innovative technologies they’re working on.
We support the growth of UK photonics and are determined to promote the sector widely. We do this by working with photonics and related stakeholder groups and associations across the UK.
Our team has a deep expertise including photonics, laser, fibre, optical, optics, photovoltaic and imaging.
Innovate UK Business Connect is a partner in the European project that supports the Photonics21 platform. Photonics21 aims to establish Europe as a leader in the development of photonics technologies within applications fields such as ICT, lighting, industrial manufacturing, life science, safety, education and training.
We are proud to have contributed to the groundbreaking horizon scanning report “Future horizons for photonics research 2030 and beyond”, released in September 2020 by the Photonics Leadership Group (PLG) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group in Photonics and Quantum. We used our experience of online collaboration to support PLG in bringing together online 26 of the UK’s leading photonics researchers from 20 different institutions to ask “what will be the focus of photonics research a decade and more from now?”.
Our current focus in this area
Related Opportunities
European Quantum Technology CR&D 2024
Opens: 07/05/2024 Closes: 28/08/2024
UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £3m for quantum research and innovation, collaborating with at least one EU member state organisation.
More Information
Women in Innovation Awards 2024/25
Opens: 13/05/2024 Closes: 10/07/2024
Women within UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £4m; each winner gets a £75k grant and bespoke business support.
More Information
Home Office: Contracts for Innovation - Knife detection technologies, phase 1
Opens: 17/06/2024 Closes: 08/07/2024
The Home Office seeks to develop systems capable of automatically detecting knives concealed on a person, at a distance, to be used by police forces.
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Related Events and Recordings
Related News
12/06/2023
Innovate UK to launch report into future technologies with potential to power economic growth
Innovate UK is set to launch a new report exploring the technologies most likely to be important to the UK’s future economic prospects.
Read more
12/04/2023
Quantum Landscape Map Update
To coincide with World Quantum Day 2023, on 14th April the Quantum Technology Innovation Network at Innovate UK KTN will release an updated version of the quantum landscape map.