The Photonics Leadership Group collects and disseminates input from the full spectrum of UK photonics industry to provide expert informed guidance to government, support agencies, users and developers of photonics to highlight opportunities for maximising the growth and adoption of this key enabling technology.
Representatives from over 63 organisations are actively engaged with the PLG from across the UK. Participating companies are directly responsible for more than 22% of UK Photonics industry turnover and employment. The engagement of additional regional clusters and associations ensures even wider representation. All the major UK innovation and business support agencies are engaged and value the output and discussions from the PLG.
Details of all the PLG’s ongoing and past value-added activities from submissions to government consultations, Westminster showcases, surveys and reports on industry size are available.
PLG Committee- elected annually
Anke Lohmann, Anchored In – PLG Treasurer John Parsons – PLG Vice-Chair Karin Burger, SPIE Europe PLG Secretary John Lincoln, Harlin PLG Chief Executive Chris Dorman, Coherent Scotland – PLG Chair
Getting involved
The PLG welcomes input from industry leaders from across the full spectrum of those developing and applying photonics in the UK, from researchers to component suppliers to integrated system manufacturers.
If you are interested in becoming a regular stakeholder, attending ~3 meetings per year and reviewing PLG recommendations and outputs, please contact us. Stakeholders are asked for a voluntary annual contribution to offset the costs of operating the PLG, although no one is excluded if they are unable to contribute.
Each PLG meeting is attended by 25-30 people from the following pool of organisations with 50-60% of those attending every meeting being senior managers at UK manufacturers based throughout the country. We are grateful to everyone who has contributed their time to championing the cause of photonics in the UK and provided venues time and support to the group.
Regular PLG participants
AILU | M Squared Laser |
Alrad | National Healthcare Photonics Centre |
Anchored In | Oclaro |
Arqit | OptiC Technology Centre |
Artemis Optical | Optical Society of America (OSA) |
Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies | |
BAE systems | Oxford Lasers |
BEIS | Photonsens |
Central Laser Facility | Pure LiFi |
CIP Huawei | QinetiQ |
Coherent Scotland | Qioptiq |
Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) | Resolute Photonics |
Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult | Seagate |
Compound Semiconductor Centre | Sharp Labs Europe |
CST Global | SPI Lasers |
Edmund Optics | SPIE |
EPSRC | STFC/Central Laser Facility |
EW Simulation Technology | Technology Scotland /Photonics Scotland |
Fraunhofer UK | Thales UK |
G&H | Thorlabs |
Grounded Innovation | TWI |
Glass Technology Services | UCL |
Harlin | UK Industrial Vision Association |
Heriot-Watt University | University of Aston |
Innovate UK | University of Cambridge |
II-VI Semiconductors | University of Exeter |
Indigo Consulting | University of Oxford |
IPG Photonics | University of Sheffield |
IQE | University of Southampton |
Knowledge Transfer Network | University of Strathclyde |
Lein Diagnostics | Vitritech |
Leonardo | Welsh Optoelectronics Forum |
Lumerical |