Southampton Photonics Centre to Boost UK Manufacturing

The South East Photonics Network (SEPNET) has welcomed Business Secretary Lord Mandelson’s recent announcement for a state of the art photonics manufacturing research centre at the University of Southampton. It is part of a £70million government investment that also includes new centres at the universities of Loughborough and Brunel for regenerative medicine and liquid metals.

The EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Photonics at the University of Southampton will work with industry to develop fibre materials and technology platforms, train a new generation of engineers and fuel growth in photonics-related manufacturing. Investment from EPSRC will total £4.7 million over a five-year period starting in March 2010. Thirteen industrial partners
will contribute a further £4.6 million.

“This is a new type of funding which will take photonics research to commercial readiness, bridging the gap between scientific developments and industrial impact,” said John Lincoln from SEPNET. “It will generate research projects that culminate in a working laboratory model of a manufacturing process, just one step away from an industrial pilot plant and ready to be scaled up by manufacturers.”

“This shows how seriously the government is taking photonics, an area in which the UK is already internationally recognised as a centre of excellence. Now we need to develop our manufacturing skills so we can create end products using this technology and strengthen our ability to compete globally before other countries move ahead of us.”

Professor David Payne, Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, commented: "Photonics at Southampton has benefited from sustained EPSRC funding over the last 40 years and has made a huge impact on areas as diverse as the internet, laser manufacturing, environmental sensing and the biosciences. With strong support from our local photonics cluster of ten companies and from companies throughout the UK, we welcome the opportunity to enhance our contributions to UK economic growth through this new initiative in Innovative Manufacturing Centres.”

The UK photonics sector is financially strong despite the global recession, with companies reporting new international distribution deals and double-digit growth in 2009. There are over 200 organisations active in photonics in the South East and South West including niche companies specialising in technologies such as LED ecolighting and scientific and industrial lasers.