The £13.5 billion UK photonics industry employs 69,000 people producing products exported throughout the world. The industry is characterised by global exports, with the UK’s leading reputation in photonics exemplified by the many companies who export almost everything they manufacture. But exactly what fraction of the industry outputs overall are exported, to where? Delivering the…
The UK photonics industry has an average productivity, measured in gross value added to the economy per photonics employee of £76,400. As published in 2019, this is 14% higher than the average productivity in UK manufacturing. But how do different firms compare? The latest analysis of data by the PLG shows the distribution of productivity…
The government looking for businesses who can support in the supply of ventilators and ventilator components across the UK as part of the response to COVID-19. They are looking for businesses with the following skills: design/specification rapid prototyping contract/product assembly certification/regulation/testing etc Laser based materials processing, cutting, welding and marking and additive manufacturing may be…
What steps are UK government taking to support the development of photonics SMEs? from questions to Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industry Strategy 21 January 2020, highlghts working with the Photonics Leadership Group.
Photonics has enabled the internet, 3d metal printing and corrective eye surgery, amoung countless applications – where will it take us next? In collaboration with the leading UK photonic researchers, the PLG will begin 2020 by facilitating a Horizon Scanning process to develop a community vision for future UK photonics research. Focusing on expansive capture…
SEPnet (South East Physics Network) is calling for ideas and propsoals from companies for Summer placements in 2020. SEPnet organises an annual summer placement scheme for physics and maths students at Hertfordshire, Kent, Portsmouth, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, Southampton, Surrey, Sussex and Open University universities. For summer 2020, SEPnet is seeking 8-week plus projects in…
Photonics is manufactured in over half the UK’s parliamentary constituencies, with 20 MPs due to represent areas where over 500 people are employed locally in photonics
The second edition of BICOP opens on Wednesday highlighting advances in Optical and Quantum communications along with Lasers, Interconnects, Sensors and Photonics manufacturing. Prof. Sir David Payne and Prof. Sir Peter Knight, will deliver the keynote addresses on Wednesday and Thursday with the latest insights on ‘Devices, Datacom and Data’ and ‘Progress with Photonics-enabled Quantum…
The PLG welcomes a new report from the King’s College London’s Policy Institute by David Willetts, former Minister of State for Universities and Science on “The Road to 2.4%” -the target for the fraction of GDP invested in science and research . The report makes a clear case for increasing support for enabing technologies (such…
The Institute of Physics 2019 awards presented on 18 November recognised outstanding contributions in many areas of photonics including: Professor Donna Stickland, University of Waterloo- Honary Fellowship for her pioneering method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses. Matoha Instrumentation – Business Start-Up Award for the development of a low-cost small-scale infrared materials identification and analysis…
