On-LineIndividuals or teams with scalable ideas are invited to apply to a new explorer pre-accelerator programme with €20,000 prize fund and access to Europe’s semiconductor leaders.
“do you have a great idea for a new product or service?
we want to hear from you!
explorer, a deep-tech pre-accelerator, is currently accepting applications for its 2021 programme aimed at empowering European entrepreneurs with deep-tech ideas.”
Irish Photonics Integrated Centre (IPIC) is delighted to announce the launch of a new pre-accelerator programme for deep-tech start-ups, in partnership with the IPCEI European cluster collaboration, and international high-tech photonics companies OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (OSRAM) and IQE.
The ultimate goal of explorer is to stimulate the formation of high value deep-tech ventures, which will in turn support the growth of the Irish economy and jobs. Global investment in deep-tech has soared from $9.8bn in 2015 to $17.8bn in 2018, with €7.7 billion in Europe alone in 2019. By investing in this sector Ireland will remain at the forefront of new technologies and fast-growing companies. The programme aims to help emerging entrepreneurial ideas and early-stage start-ups in the area of photonics and microelectronics – covering technology areas such as energy efficient chips, power semi-conductors, smart sensors, advanced optical equipment, and compound materials and applications.
The four-month programme, running from February to May 2021, will help entrepreneurial explorers to stress test their idea and learn from the best European semiconductor companies, such as OSRAM and IQE. Participants will be introduced to start-up tools and methodologies; given access to resources; and they will be briefed on leading edge developments in opto-electronics and microelectronics, as investigated by IPCEI. explorer will also offer an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and to build industrial collaborations across Europe. In addition, the programme will prepare and introduce participants to next stage supports, including grant funding and investment.
The call for entries is now open to any resident of the Republic of Ireland or Europe, in research or in industry, who have a deep-tech idea at start-up stage. Entrants should preferably have a globally scalable concept, and ideally be a team (more than one person). They must also not have previously received investment funding for the idea to be explored. Start-ups accepted onto explorer will not be charged fees and no equity will be taken.
Overall, six ideas will be selected to participate, culminating in a programme showcase where one winner will receive a cash prize of €20,000.
Through the programme participants will also engage with deep-tech companies located in Ireland to explore future technology and manufacturing challenges, and opportunities on how the Irish community can work together to build a sustainable and competitive trans-European industry.
The explorer lead, Head of Photonics Operations and IPIC Centre Manager Dr. Patrick Morrissey said “We are looking to identify and support emerging start-up ideas in the area of deep-tech to stimulate new high value ventures that will have economic value, impact and international reach. There are huge opportunities for Ireland to lead the way in deep-tech solutions. We are already competing in technology development and initiatives such as this will sharpen Ireland’s competitive edge and create new SMEs and jobs across a variety of sectors. €7.7 billion was invested in deep-techs in Europe in 2019 alone, so the value to our economy is considerable.
“We are seeking to attract people with an explorer-type personality, very much like John Tyndall. Tyndall had a fearless personality and demonstrated this through his scientific experiments, explanations and through his mountaineering exploits. We want to continue his legacy and recruit applicants that are as daring as he was. At this stage all we need are great ideas at an early stage”
“Those selected will come away from the explorer programme with idea validation, an expanded network across Europe’s leading semiconductor companies, and investment opportunities.”
The Programme will be delivered remotely by Tyndall, IPIC, Osram, and IQE, in partnership with IPCEI companies, who will provide technology mentors that will offer advice on the technology, its development and related areas such a supply chain development. This will ensure that each team will have a comprehensive training and mentorship support structure covering both technology and commercial activities.
Participants will also have access to relevant government agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), during the Pre-Accelerator programme and the outreach event.
Following the Pre-Accelerator Programme, an invitation only Outreach Event will take place in Cork, or virtually, which will bring together over 150 senior representatives from global deep-tech companies, from multinationals to SMEs, from ICT to Medical device companies, along with representatives from the IPCEI partner companies, relevant Irish government agencies and the project partners.
The event, which will take place in June 2021, will focus on Europe’s future deep-tech technology and advanced manufacturing needs to support existing and new emerging markets, and it will explore ideas on how the represented organisations can work together to address the needs and deliver economic growth.
Apply online by midnight on 18th January at www.tyndall.ie/Explorer or email queries to explorer@tyndall.ie.
For more information please visit explorer.
News & Events
Research is easily the most exciting job a curious person can do…
A glimpse into developing new technology…
I was born in a small village. No one in my family has a degree or been to school before…
I can remember listening to stories of famous scientists from my father when I was 12…
There is always so much to learn, so much to explore that one can ever be satisfied…
I showed all the signs of a creative mind, but being a scientist was the least of my interests…
Find your path…
Rockley Photonics Unveils Next-Generation, Higher-Density Laser Spectrophotometer Chip for Wearable Health Monitoring
IPIC Industry partner, Rockley Photonics, have gone live with the below Press Release sharing details of their development of what is believed to be the ‘world’s first micro-transfer-printed (mTP) silicon-photonics-based laser for commercial applications.’ Aaron Zilkie (CTO Rockley Photonics) commented on some particular fruits of engagement with IPIC referencing the ‘development of mTP lasers, work which started with Brian Corbett’s group – and the pitch shrink – innovation from Frank Peters, which impacts miniaturizing the size of and increasing the density of our laser arrays.’
‘This groundbreaking achievement is expected to allow Rockley to further increase the density and reduce the size of its high-density spectrophotometer chips — which are already the world’s smallest for broadband infrared wavelength laser spectrometry (covering 1000 nanometers of spectrum) and are smaller in area than LEDbased solutions currently used in wearables.
This advancement could potentially have a significant impact across a wide range of applications, including the design of exceptionally small wearable devices for the detection and measurement of multiple biomarkers. New silicon-photonics-based biosensing chips using mTP technology are expected to be available in the first half of 2024. The new chip technology should have no impact on the upcoming launch of Rockley’s Bioptx™ biosensing band nor on any current-generation products that Rockley and its customers are developing.
With this breakthrough in the mTP of silicon-photonics-based lasers, Rockley has dramatically increased the laser density of its photonics integrated circuits (PICs) for biosensing, creating what it believes to be the world’s highest-density broad-wavelength laser spectrophotometer chip, surpassing its own previous achievements. Moreover, the mTP process is expected to reduce manufacturing costs and enable thinner, smaller footprint and higher-density chip designs. These attributes are powerful benefits for use in consumer and medtech devices and could facilitate the integration of Rockley’s biosensing technology into future tiny wearables.
Leveraging the mTP process, the new PIC technology will integrate a laser-generating “membrane” with a thickness of only 4 microns. The potential applications for this higherdensity and smaller-footprint chip technology extend beyond biosensing and health monitoring into other areas, such as ultra-small wearables, clothing, or XR/VR/AR headsets and glasses.
This mTP breakthrough is the direct result of Rockley’s multi-year partnership with the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork in Ireland, X-Celeprint Limited, and the Irish Photonics Integration Centre (IPIC), with funding support from the Irish government’s Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF). The project started five years ago with a focus on developing a custom mTP process for Rockley’s silicon photonics platform and has involved a multidisciplinary team of world-class engineers and researchers. This technology, along with many other Rockley innovations, is backed by a robust multidisciplinary patent portfolio of over 200 issued patents and 295 pending patents in total.’
“Applying the micro-transfer printing process to the production of integrated lasers is a huge breakthrough that we believe will have a tremendous impact on wearable biosensing and on the photonics industry as a whole,” said Dr. Andrew Rickman, chairman and chief executive officer of Rockley. “We arguably have some of the most sophisticated photonics technology in the world, and this unprecedented level of miniaturization raises the bar even further. By creating biosensing chips that are smaller, lower-cost, and more efficient, we can continually improve our wearable biosensing products and deliver novel, relevant, and more powerful ways to monitor our health.”
“I believe that this next-gen, heterogeneous integration platform will lead to several significant technological advancements, including higher densities of lasers, increasingly smaller chip sizes, and ultra-high-volume manufacturing,” said Aaron Zilkie, chief technology officer of photonics at Rockley. “The team has been working on this project for years, and we are extremely excited to have reached this important milestone. We are grateful for the close collaboration we’ve had with our research partners and for the funding support from the Irish government and its Science Foundation Ireland and Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund.”
For further information on Rockley Photonics see rockleyphotonics.com
IPIC Industry Event – Photonics 4 Disruptive Innovation
IPIC’s Annual Industry Workshop 2022 was held at UCC’s, Devere Hall, on Thursday, 19th May 2022. Along with welcoming colleagues from academic centres across Ireland, we welcomed many of our industry collaborators to share details of our ongoing research projects, meet PhD and Postdoc poster presenters, and hear about our emerging start-up opportunities.
During the mainstage presentations we heard from Dr. Helen McBreen (IPIC Governance Committee Chair and Partner Atlantic Bridge) on the outcome of IPIC’s SFI review in late 2021. In summary a lot achieved, with the reviewers commenting that IPIC’s impact for Ireland as being ‘outstanding’ and also reflecting positively on IPIC’s Education & Public Engagement programme, encouraging further growth and expansion of the activities. The audience heard from Prof. Paul Townsend, IPIC’s Centre Director on the Centre’s forward momentum, which was followed by updates from Prof. Louise Bradley (Trinity College Dublin) on the new Catalyst Theme – Nanophotonics, and from Paul on the Catalyst Theme – Quantum, which will be led by Dr. Emanuele Pelucchi. We heard from Emerge@IPIC awardees, Xing Ouyang on ChirpComm and Zhi Li on Monolithic Integration Based on Pyramidal InGaN Micro-LEDs for AR/VR Displays. A call for applications to 2022 Emerge@IPIC was opened, with a closing date 19th August 2022, any queries should be addressed to Dr. Patrick Morrissey, IPIC Operations Manager.
Dr. Carl Jackson (Entrepreneur) shared with us his journey from Tyndall labs to start-up formation and exit, and how to learn from all experiences, successes and challenges, within the tech innovation space. We heard from Explorer programme 2022 participants, Lorenzo Niemitz on his project Medguide, and Celina L. Li on her project OTMD and experience on the programme.
The event was closed with awards for Best Publications, Impact, EPE and Best Posters.
After 2 years of mostly remote connections, it was great to meet colleagues and friends in-person, we look forward to many more in-person events.
National Broadband Ireland – Imagine the Future competition
IPIC’s Paul Townsend is delighted to meet with young artistic minds in participating on a panel of judges (along with RTE’s Ryan Tubridy) in assessing primary school children’s creative responses to National Broadband Ireland’s (NBI) competition ‘Imagine the Future’. The students interpretation can be via a piece of sculpture, a photo, a painting, a song, a short movie or even a dance! The concept is asking the children to think about how they see us living our lives in the future, how they see transport, school, community, hospitals, etc. evolving.
Paul Townsend leads our Optical Communications Theme of 30 researchers, if you would like to know more please contact us at info@ipic.ie
If you would like to know more about this and other NBI competitions, please click here.
World Quantum Day 2022
Today, we are delighted to join quantum scientists from all over the world, to celebrate World Quantum Day.
Building on the success of last year’s event, this year we are delighted to share our podcast A Little Light Listening, hosted by Dr David McGovern, IPIC’s Senior Business Development Manager. This special episode dedicated to Quantum Worlds will delve into quantum technologies, their impact on our future and the quantum landscape in Ireland.
David will host the following special guests:
Prof. Seamus Davis, Professor of Quantum Physics, University College Cork, Oxford University & Cornell University
Prof. Elena Blokhina, Associate Professor, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University College Dublin
Dr Emanuele Pelucchi, Head of Epitaxy and Physics of Nanostructures (EPN) Group, IPIC and Tyndall National Institute-UCC
Listen to the podcast here.
World Quantum Day aims to promote the public understanding of Quantum Science and Technology.
independent.ie ‘Ireland’s photonics industry continues to grow at pace’
On 3rd April, Anna-Marie Turley of Enterprise Ireland reported on independent.ie detailing how Ireland’s photonics industry is developing vital technology innovations, in areas of robotics, high speed broadband and technologies in the health-tech space, thus positioning photonics as a vital part of our lives now and into the future.
She comments “Globally, photonics is a critically important sector and an area in which Irish companies and educational institutions continue to thrive.
From playing a pivotal role in AI and security, the role of photonics in our daily lives will become increasingly pronounced.
With the right environment and supports in place, Irish-based companies delivering innovative solutions in this space are perfectly positioned to become market leaders, and Enterprise Ireland is proud to support them.”
Anna-Marie is the department manager for Retail, Consumer and Online at Enterprise Ireland.
To view this news piece in full follow this link.
Photonics 4 Disruptive Innovation
This workshop, taking place in-person in Cork on Thursday, 19th May, will present the latest disruptive developments in photonics research, industrial collaborations, new ventures and training. It is organised by the Irish Photonics Integration Centre at Tyndall National Institute, in collaboration with Photonics Ireland.
The workshop will include a networking lunch and a presentation session followed by a networking/poster session, where our researchers and engineers will share the latest breakthroughs and emerging market opportunities.
Applications areas will include displays, marine, MedTech, optical communications, sensing, as well as many others.
For more details please contact info@ipic.ie
DCU spin-out, Pilot Photonics raise funding of €1.8m
Congratulations to DCU spinout Pilot Photonics, on successfully raising €1.8m funding. This success is built on the commitment and collaboration of research teams within Dublin City University, Tyndall and the Irish Photonic Integration Centre.
The Irish Times have reported, Pilot Photonics’ ‘novel “comb laser” technology, using its patented “gain switching” technique allows for the generation and manipulation of waves of light with exceptional precision and the creation of multiple lasers from a single device. Combining this with a semiconductor processing known as photonic integration, means Pilot’s devices are suitable for mass production and offer performance, size, cost, power, and stability advantages over traditional single wavelength lasers. The technology has multiple applications across the communications, energy, and aerospace sectors globally’.
For more details on this success, please click here to access Irish Times article.
IPIC and Raydiant Oximetry move closer in realising product to market
IPIC’s collaboration with Raydiant Oximetry is moving closer to the development of a non-invasive technology that will monitor fetal oxygen levels in real-time, for use during childbirth. This technology will elicit greater information around whether or not a caesarian section is warranted. Raydiant Oximetry and IPIC are working closely to expedite the delivery of this tech into clinician’s hands and critically into women’s experience of childbirth.
We are very proud of this partnership. Raydiant Oximetry, CEO Dr. Neil Ray, a pediatric anesthesiologist, has commented on IPIC “They understood the timelines and were able to complete our first proposal within three months. Institutions in the U.S. were saying a year to complete that proposal.” and “In terms of cost, (Tyndall was) able to co-fund the cost of the initial proposal through its hosted centre, the Irish Photonics Integration Centre (IPIC), funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). If you would like to read more, please click here.
Brillanté Photonics have announced the development of their super luminescent blue LED (SLED) device.
Congratulations to Brillanté Photonics who have launched their patented super luminescent blue LED (SLED) device. Brillianté confirm these devices are “super bright, narrowband, speckle free, small etendue illumination source“. We wish the team continued growth and success.
Summer Internships 2022 – IPIC, Tyndall, MCCI & IERC
**Deadline for Applications is Monday January 31st**
This internship will allow you to work with renowned researchers at Tyndall National Institute, IPIC the SFI Centre for Photonics, MCCI and IERC.
Interns will be given access to world-class research environments, and also the opportunity to learn from award-winning scientists and researchers who are at the cutting edge of deep-tech research.
To support you during the programme and to give you a truly immersive experience, interns will be partnered up with a senior researcher that’s relevant to their chosen research area. They will receive a generous bursary while undertaking a 12-week research project complemented by a workshop series and learn about research commercialisation, communication and more.
The internship programme has been designed in a flexible manner for blended working that accommodates online remote learning as well as supervised lab access for each intern.
To be considered for an internship, students need to be enrolled as an undergraduate student in a Republic of Ireland based university or institute of technology from all STEM fields.
25 summer bursaries for the 2022 programme are available. Applications are now open, to find out more, apply today online.
View the programme’s Data Protection Notice here.
Discover more about the research areas the programme will offer at the Open Evening event which will be announced soon.
Brian Corbett awarded Institute of Physics, Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal & Prize, 2021
Brian Corbett, world-leading researcher from IPIC and Tyndall National Institute, has been awarded the 2021 Institute of Physics Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize.
The gold medal has been awarded for his identification and creation of breakthrough innovative photonic device technology solutions that have driven the development and growth of several startups, and major innovations by multinational companies.
On awarding the prize, the Institute of Physics (IOP) said: “Brian Corbett has raised visibility of Ireland’s high impact technology ability significantly on the world stage. He is an outstanding recipient for the Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize.”
Brian Corbett has always demonstrated leadership in innovation and technology. He invented the technology that enabled the establishment of Eblana Photonics (2001) to commercialise a scalable laser manufacturing technology which drives down the cost of high-performance, single-wavelength lasers for diverse mass market applications. His work helped launch Firecomms, the first ever Irish startup to be acquired by a Chinese Corporation (ZJF). The acquisition included a €5 million investment in Firecomms’ engineering team in Cork, resulting in the growth of the team to ~30 today. He was also key to attracting X-Celeprint to establish their global headquarters in Tyndall in 2013, with X-Celeprint’s CEO accrediting the decision to the capabilities and vision of Corbett and his team. The company is developing and licensing patented Micro-Transfer-Print technology – a cost-effective and scalable manufacturing process for integrating microscale photonic devices onto silicon-based structures.
Not only is his work with startups and SMEs critical to the development of the Irish entrepreneurial and enterprise ecosystem, his partnerships with multinational companies have ensured enduring and fruitful relationships with companies such as Intel (as recognised by their 2013 Outstanding Researcher Award) and Seagate. Through his leadership and vision, more companies will spin out and grow – one is currently targeted on superluminescent LEDs.
On receiving his 2021 IOP award, Brian Corbett said: “I am truly honoured to receive this recognition and humbled to join all the previous prestigious winners of the IOP Katharine Burr Blodgett Medal and Prize, which recognises contribution to the application of physics in an industrial and commercial context.”
The team here at IPIC are really proud and send many congratulations to Brian on his great work!
Industry Engagement Impact Award
One of IPIC, University College Cork (UCC) and Tyndall National Institute’s most successful collaboration projects has won Knowledge Transfer Ireland’s prestigious 2021 Industry Engagement Impact Award.
KTI’s annual Impact Awards recognise significant achievements in the commercialisation of publicly funded research nationwide and engagement with research systems across the third level and other similar State research institutions.
In particular, the awards acknowledge and celebrate the Innovation Offices / Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) and their staff on-the-ground who make this knowledge transfer and commercialisation happen. Key factors include scientific advance, commercial impact, and the role of TTOs in managing deal flow and driving technology transfer and licensing.
The winner of this year’s Industry Engagement Impact Award is a collaboration between Rockley Photonics – a leading global supplier of integrated optical chips and modules – and IPIC, the SFI Research Centre for Photonics in Tyndall at UCC.
Regarded as one of UCC’s most successful industry collaborations, the engagement has resulted in 11 commercial licences being signed in 2021. It also led to the establishment of Rockley Photonics Ireland in Cork, a venture which grew to 10 employees in 2021.
Rockley Photonics CEO Dr Andrew Rickman confirmed Rockley are “committed to continued growth and investment in Cork due to the collaboration with IPIC”
IPIC Centre Manager Dr Patrick Morrissey commented: “Investment in research helps us address today’s grand challenges, such as climate change and the health & well-being of citizens, while also creating opportunity for economic growth. Our partnership with Rockley is an example of this, where we are developing and deploying leading edge technologies, and Ireland is at the centre of this technology revolution.”
The win has been welcomed by Professor John Cryan, Vice-President of Research and Innovation, at UCC, who said: “This collaboration between Tyndall and Rockley Photonics showcases how industry engagement is at the heart of innovation at UCC, and how we take leading-edge research from UCC labs to the market through industry partnerships. I congratulate the teams involved in both UCC and Rockley for creating impact from their research.”
Dr Anthony Morrissey of UCC’s TTO added: “This award is a recognition of UCC Innovation’s commitment to supporting UCC and Tyndall researchers with their industry engagements, and to enabling the delivery of impact from excellent science. Rockley continue to be an excellent industry partner for our photonics researchers at IPIC.”
Dr Sally Cudmore, Interim Director of Innovation, UCC, said: “I am delighted that the project from Tyndall and Rockley Photonics has won the KTI Industry Engagement award. This one of UCC’s most successful and enduring industry engagements in terms of technology transfer. UCC Innovation has been part of the successful partnership by enabling the flow of ideas, IP and impact from the IPIC team to Rockley over the last 4 years. This award recognises the hard work of the research and management teams in Tyndall, IPIC, Rockley and UCC Innovation and I would like to thank all involved.”
Cork Science Festival
Cork Science Festival, Science for Everyone took place 6-14th November. This year’s festival was an online program of free public engagement events, open days, science tours, talks, exhibitions, shows, workshops and school events. IPIC were delighted to participate and engage with members of the public curious about science. In particular, IPIC’s EPE Officer, Dr Caitriona Tyndall along with Conal Murphy, PhD student, delivered an online workshop on creating your own spectroscope to children at Togher National School, Dunmanway. The children had a lot of fun learning about the science of light, discussing rainbows, visible and invisible light spectrums, etc. If you’d like to see more around this event with the school, please click here.
OPTICA selects 12 Entrepreneurs to Watch, meet IPIC’s, Dr. Sanathana Konugolu Venkata Sekar
OPTICA (Optics and Photonics News) has just revealed their 12 entrepreneurs to watch, including SFI Research Centre for Photonics, IPIC’s Dr Sanathana Konugolu Venkata Sekar, who has co-founded BioPixS (est. 2020, an IPIC, Tyndall, UCC Innovation spinout). BioPixS’ core product delivers a range of phantoms (stand-ins for human tissues) that simulate the interaction of light with tissue, reducing time and cost to develop high-tech biomedical devices. BioPixS’ phantoms also target the reduction of animal use in preclinical trials, providing parallel alternatives.
Dr. Konugolu Venkata Sekar explains “These phantoms serve a pressing need for validation of clinical methodologies, characterisations, calibration of instruments, and standardisation of protocols and lifetime surveillance of clinical devices. Our mission is to be a one-stop solution for all biophotonics standardisation needs. BioPixS will spur innovation and fast track the next generation of biomedical tools.” For more on BioPixS, follow this link.
BioPixS is part of European projects VASCOVID https://vascovid.icfo.eu/ and TinyBrains https://tinybrains.eu/, fasting tracking biomedical device development to market.
Sanathana is currently a Senior Researcher and Biomedical Theme Coordinator at IPIC Biophotonics@Tyndall. His current research work includes the development of next generation microcamera based in body diagnostic/surgical guidance tools, upconverting nanoparticle for deep tissue imaging and immuno-histopathology, GASMAS for neonatal lung monitoring, next generation time of flight spectroscopy for wearable applications.
For further information on OPTICA’s Entrepreneurs to Watch, click here.
IONS Ireland 2021
(l to r) Alesandra Carmichael Martins, UCD & Andrea Liliana Pacheco Tobo, Tyndall UCC
IONS Ireland 2021 is scheduled to take place virtually 9-11 November, hosted by Student Chapters at IPIC, Tyndall, UCC and UCD. IONS Ireland (International OSA Network of Students) aims to offer an interactive learning experience for optics and photonics students at all levels; including those interested in pursuing such studies.
Some conference highlights:
Students have an opportunity to present their research to peers.
Technical sessions: Tissue Imaging and Applied Spectroscopy; Optical Communications; Integrated Photonics and Optoelectronics; Vision and Applications of Visual Science.
Professional development training, including the exploration of career development opportunities.
Opportunity to engage with leading researchers in the field.
Conference registration is now free! Please click on this link to register.
There are lots of opportunities to network and learn, including OSA Chapter Special: The Wonderful World of Optics, post-conference (in-person) networking event (with travel grants for best poster/presenter), etc.
For further information on the event please visit IONS Ireland 2021
International Conference on Clinical Spectroscopy
The 12th International Conference on Clinical Spectroscopy will take place in Dublin on June 19 -23 2022.
The exact details of the event will be announced shortly on http://spec2022.org/.
10th International Graduate summer School: Biophotonics ’22
10th International Graduate summer school Biophotonics ’22 will take place from 11 – 18 June 2022.
The purpose of the International Graduate summer school Biophotonics is to provide education for students at the highest international level within the area of optical biosensing led by renowned lecturers from around the world.
Optical biosensing based on optical methods and instruments using light interacting with tissue have emerged as powerful techniques for bio-medical diagnostics, monitoring wide spectra of tissue function and pathology together with therapy. In addition, optical biosensing in conjunction with microfluidics plays a major role in the field of biophotonics and biomedical optics.
The educational programme is held in an international atmosphere enhancing exchange of scientific ideas and technological advances within the fields of biomedical optics and closely related areas.
For more information please see https://www.biop.dk/.
PhotonHub European Photonics Academy
PhotonHub is a New European Academy to boost the skills and know-how of industry in exploiting opportunities in the €615B global photonics sector.
A programme to train thousands of industry workers in the adoption and development of innovative photonics-based solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges, from environmental sustainability to healthy living and smart infrastructure, has been established by a consortium of over 50 of Europe’s top photonics competence centers.
The European Photonics Academy will offer training courses beyond the lecture room with a strong focus on hands-on training. Course attendees will gain real-world experience using state-of-the-art design, manufacturing, test equipment and facilities. The academy’s training centers will offer unique courses across a wide range of photonics technology platforms and application domains. The academy will initially run for four years with the clear intention of becoming a sustainable long-term support to European industry.
Interest in photonics is booming, with the global photonics market estimated to be worth €615B in 2020 and recent research showing that the European photonics market is growing at more than double the rate of global GDP. However, gaining access to the cutting-edge technical know-how and the hands-on skills required to utilize photonics technologies remains difficult for many companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The academy, launched by PhotonHub Europe, the full-service one-stop-shop Photonics Innovation Hub funded by the European Commission, will make it easy for SMEs in particular to fully exploit this critical enabling technology for their own innovation activities.
“For the first time the European Photonics Academy means that SMEs have a one-stop-shop to pick and choose from a large menu of training options, making it easy to get the exact training course suited to their needs. Companies can be assured that their employees are getting top quality training from best-in-class facilities since quality assurance is overseen by PhotonHub,” said Prof Peter O’Brien of the UCC Tyndall Institute in Ireland, who leads training support services at the academy. “We expect to support 6,000 European companies with training over the next four years, each sending several employees on one or more of our courses, with several hundred companies immediately taking up photonics technologies in their applications and product manufacturing as early adopters. As a result, we believe the academy will be a massive catalyst for the take-up of photonics by European companies.”
Photonics involves the generation, manipulation and detection of light and is a key enabling digital technology that underpins many existing and emerging applications. Over the next decade photonics will make a significant impact to our everyday lives – transforming industries, tackling critical issues such as climate change, and improving societies across Europe. Some current applications include:
· Agriculture (scanning technology and infrared imaging to monitor food production and quality, and sensor systems for planting and irrigation)
· Green Energy Sources (LED lighting and Photovoltaic devices used for solar electric panels)
· Information Communications Technology (optics for data storage, transmission across fibre-optic networks and displays)
· Life Sciences (testing and analysis devices such as non-invasive glucose monitors and point-of-care and wearable diagnostics)
· Medical Technology (lasers for surgery, photodynamic therapy, smart surgical instruments).
Europe is a global leader in the development of photonics technologies, with much of this innovation generated through research funded by the European Commission. The new academy will allow European workforces access to state-of-the-art photonics technologies and advanced methods of photonics manufacturing through structured training and education. To-date, 40 training centres across Europe have been selected for funding, with 10 more to be announced later this year. Critically all regions of Europe will have access to training, including those with little or no expertise in photonics, with centres as far apart as Ireland, Spain, Finland and Greece.
Three types of training courses are available:
· Online Training, geared towards new entrants to the photonics sector providing a half-day introduction to photonics and an overview of the key enabling power of photonics technologies for wide-ranging applications.
· Demo Centres, offering one-day training courses on-site with a focus on particular photonics technology applications.
· Experience Centres, offering in-depth three-day or five-day training courses with a strong focus on lab-based activities and hands-on working using state-of-the-art equipment and application demonstrator tools.
People wishing to attend any of the Online Training, or either of the Demo or Experience Centre training courses, can browse the training catalogue via the PhotonHub website (https://www.photonhub.eu/our-services/) and register for the particular course of interest to them.
Further details about PhotonHub’s extensive Online Training, and Demo and Experience Centre training courses, can be found in the link here.
explorer 2021: congratulations to winning team APS (Atlantic Photonic Solutions)
We are very excited to announce that APS (Atlantic Photonic Solutions) were the winning team at the recent finals of the explorer programme 2021. Laura Britton presented on behalf of APS, outlining how they use their photonic technology’s ‘sweet spot wavelength’ to delouse farmed salmon, which is the bane of every salmon farmers activities. APS treatment of lice is safe to the fish and the louse by-product can be used, giving zero waste. The team have secured EU funding to bring their patented process to commercialization. We are very excited to see this innovative team grow and succeed even further. For more information on APS please see https://zaps.ie/
We also celebrate the competing teams – AIC; Creative Connections; Enegma; InPhoSS and INSPIRES who each excelled in terms of their commitment and engagement to the explorer programme and in advancing their journey’s towards commercializing their technologies.
We would like to thank our explorer partners – IPCEI; Tyndall National Institute; Osram Opto Semiconductors and IQE, and all those who contributed to making the programme a great success. In particular, we would also like to thank Programme Director, Helen Fullen, Alinea, for her great work in leading and delivering explorer and supporting the teams throughout.
For further information please see: https://www.tyndall.ie/explorer
Please send expressions of interest and any questions to explorer@tyndall.ie
Photonics Ireland Conference 2021
PHOTONICS IRELAND virtual conference 2021 is taking place 14-16 June 2021. Photonics Ireland is “the premier event in Ireland bringing together key people in the academic and industry sectors to present state of the art research and challenges in the area of photonics, on national and international levels“.
The schedule includes a panel of nationally and internationally renowned speakers, academic posters sharing the latest developments in photonics research and an industry session allowing academia and industry to share latest insights, build relationships and develop collaborations.
For further information please see http://photonicsireland2020.ie/
Biophotonics breakthrough on colon cancer detection
Researchers in Biophotonics team at IPIC are developing a more effective and less invasive way to diagnose and treat colorectal cancer, which is the third most common type of cancer in the world and the second most deadly, in partnership with clinicians at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) and Cork University Hospital (CUH).
They have created a tool for non-invasive surgical guidance and early disease detection using biophotonics technology, a light-based instrument that senses and differentiates tissues more accurately and faster.
The team’s research has just been published in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports, describing how the use of biophotonics can help to radically improve health outcomes for patients as it is a less invasive method and provides more comprehensible information to clinicians and surgeons in real-time, particularly in the area of colon cancer.
Pre-clinical and clinical studies with patients who have gastrointestinal diseases and oral cancer are expected to commence in the MUH and CUH in late 2021.
The Biophotonics team at Tyndall, at UCC, is researching non-invasive techniques that are more accurate and faster than conventional detection methods. Following the initial positive results that validate the idea, they are now developing a probe for colon cancer detection during colonoscopy, which can investigate additional types of biomolecules located at different tissue depths by using extended wavelength range.
This technology will help surgeons to take biopsies at the right places, as currently they have no guidance as to where to request a biopsy, which will obviate the need for multiple biopsies or polypectomies. It could also help identify more subtle abnormalities such as premalignancies invisible through colonoscopes and medical devices.
Further information on Tyndall’s biophotonics teams’ research into colorectal diagnoses and treatment can be seen in Scientific Reports ‘Evaluation of wavelength ranges and tissue depth probed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for colorectal cancer detection.’
Photonics 4 Tomorrow’s World
The Photonics 4 Tomorrow’s World workshop will present the latest developments in photonics research, its transition from lab to market and platforms that support this agenda, such a EU pilot lines. It is organized by the Irish Photonics Integration Centre at Tyndall National Institute, in collaboration with Photonics Ireland.
The workshop will include a presentation session followed by a networking/poster session enabled through Remo’s highly interactive platform that will enable researchers and engineers discuss latest breakthroughs and emerging market opportunities.
Applications areas will include displays, marine, MedTech, optical communications, sensing, as well as many others.
For more information please contact info@ipic.ie.
IPIC & Tyndall seek applicants for Deep Tech start up programme
Individuals or teams with scalable ideas are invited to apply to a new explorer pre-accelerator programme with €20,000 prize fund and access to Europe’s semiconductor leaders.
“do you have a great idea for a new product or service?
we want to hear from you!
explorer, a deep-tech pre-accelerator, is currently accepting applications for its 2021 programme aimed at empowering European entrepreneurs with deep-tech ideas.”
Irish Photonics Integrated Centre (IPIC) is delighted to announce the launch of a new pre-accelerator programme for deep-tech start-ups, in partnership with the IPCEI European cluster collaboration, and international high-tech photonics companies OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (OSRAM) and IQE.
The ultimate goal of explorer is to stimulate the formation of high value deep-tech ventures, which will in turn support the growth of the Irish economy and jobs. Global investment in deep-tech has soared from $9.8bn in 2015 to $17.8bn in 2018, with €7.7 billion in Europe alone in 2019. By investing in this sector Ireland will remain at the forefront of new technologies and fast-growing companies. The programme aims to help emerging entrepreneurial ideas and early-stage start-ups in the area of photonics and microelectronics – covering technology areas such as energy efficient chips, power semi-conductors, smart sensors, advanced optical equipment, and compound materials and applications.
The four-month programme, running from February to May 2021, will help entrepreneurial explorers to stress test their idea and learn from the best European semiconductor companies, such as OSRAM and IQE. Participants will be introduced to start-up tools and methodologies; given access to resources; and they will be briefed on leading edge developments in opto-electronics and microelectronics, as investigated by IPCEI. explorer will also offer an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and to build industrial collaborations across Europe. In addition, the programme will prepare and introduce participants to next stage supports, including grant funding and investment.
The call for entries is now open to any resident of the Republic of Ireland or Europe, in research or in industry, who have a deep-tech idea at start-up stage. Entrants should preferably have a globally scalable concept, and ideally be a team (more than one person). They must also not have previously received investment funding for the idea to be explored. Start-ups accepted onto explorer will not be charged fees and no equity will be taken.
Overall, six ideas will be selected to participate, culminating in a programme showcase where one winner will receive a cash prize of €20,000.
Through the programme participants will also engage with deep-tech companies located in Ireland to explore future technology and manufacturing challenges, and opportunities on how the Irish community can work together to build a sustainable and competitive trans-European industry.
The explorer lead, Head of Photonics Operations and IPIC Centre Manager Dr. Patrick Morrissey said “We are looking to identify and support emerging start-up ideas in the area of deep-tech to stimulate new high value ventures that will have economic value, impact and international reach. There are huge opportunities for Ireland to lead the way in deep-tech solutions. We are already competing in technology development and initiatives such as this will sharpen Ireland’s competitive edge and create new SMEs and jobs across a variety of sectors. €7.7 billion was invested in deep-techs in Europe in 2019 alone, so the value to our economy is considerable.
“We are seeking to attract people with an explorer-type personality, very much like John Tyndall. Tyndall had a fearless personality and demonstrated this through his scientific experiments, explanations and through his mountaineering exploits. We want to continue his legacy and recruit applicants that are as daring as he was. At this stage all we need are great ideas at an early stage”
“Those selected will come away from the explorer programme with idea validation, an expanded network across Europe’s leading semiconductor companies, and investment opportunities.”
The Programme will be delivered remotely by Tyndall, IPIC, Osram, and IQE, in partnership with IPCEI companies, who will provide technology mentors that will offer advice on the technology, its development and related areas such a supply chain development. This will ensure that each team will have a comprehensive training and mentorship support structure covering both technology and commercial activities.
Participants will also have access to relevant government agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), during the Pre-Accelerator programme and the outreach event.
Following the Pre-Accelerator Programme, an invitation only Outreach Event will take place in Cork, or virtually, which will bring together over 150 senior representatives from global deep-tech companies, from multinationals to SMEs, from ICT to Medical device companies, along with representatives from the IPCEI partner companies, relevant Irish government agencies and the project partners.
The event, which will take place in June 2021, will focus on Europe’s future deep-tech technology and advanced manufacturing needs to support existing and new emerging markets, and it will explore ideas on how the represented organisations can work together to address the needs and deliver economic growth.
Apply online by midnight on 18th January at www.tyndall.ie/Explorer or email queries to explorer@tyndall.ie.
For more information please visit explorer.