Photonics
Scotland . Photonics is one of SUPA ’ s seven research themes and one that resonates strongly with industry in Scotland and worldwide . The SUPA graduate school has a world-class training programme and SUPA ’ s 1,000 strong community of PhD students and post-docs provides a formidable talent pool for industry and academia . To develop links between this community and industry , SUPA has set up the ‘ Expert Tank ’ website , which enables PhD students and RAs to register their CVs and provides a matchmaking service for industry partners looking to fill vacancies . It is widely recognised that exchange of people is a key method of exchanging knowledge and SUPA ’ s industrial placement programme has proved this to be the case . Researchers have undertaken placement projects with overseas companies , both large ( e . g . IBM ), SME ( e . g . Nanovation ) closer in hope supporting Scottish SMEs such as Diagnostic Sonar and Gas Sensing Solutions .
A key role for SUPA is to support impact from research ; this clearly includes commercial activity such as licensing , spin-outs , collaborative R & D , but also a more broad range of impact including societal , policy and public engagement . A good example of this is SUPA ’ s role in the International Year of Light 2015 . Recognising both Scotland ’ s historical contributions ( Maxwell , Brewster , Scott-Russell ) and its current dynamic photonics industry and academic community , SUPA , together with the Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of Edinburgh approached the Scottish Funding Council to support a core programme of events for the year in Scotland .
The University of Southampton is leading one of two new £ 10 million research centres that will transform the UK ’ s manufacturing industries through the use of photonics
The new Future Photonics Hub is focusing on the development of new manufacturing processes
The support given saw events throughout the year , attended by thousands of people and aimed towards the goals of strengthening pupil aspirations towards higher education , enhancing public understanding of science , further developing collaborations with industry , and demonstrating the economic impact of photonics . The Scottish programme was of course part of a worldwide activity that proved to be one of the most successful and visible science observances . More than that , the Year of Light saw the establishment of structures for collaboration and dissemination that will create a lasting legacy .
The above examples of success stories and initiatives are a reflection of the efforts and results of the UK in the creation of photonics-enabled new businesses , using photonics for making ( advanced manufacturing , 3D printing ), sensing ( gas sensors , biosensor ) and communicating ( optical fibres , photonic transceivers ).
Acknowledgments
EPIC wishes to thank its members and those who contributed their perspectives for this article . They include : Anke Lohmann ( KTN ), Michael Lebby ( Glyndwr University ), Andy Sellars ( Innovate UK ), Phillip Cornish ( Stratium Limited ), Robert Goodfellow and Matthew Wasley ( Heriot-Watt University ), Timothy Bodley-Scott ( University College London ) and Tom Carr ( ORC University of Southampton ).
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