Towards 2020 – Photonics driving economic growth in Europe
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Executive<br />
Summary<br />
The rise of photonics <strong>in</strong> <strong>Europe</strong> from a niche activity to a Key<br />
Enabl<strong>in</strong>g Technology, and on to becom<strong>in</strong>g one of the most<br />
important <strong>in</strong>dustries for the future, shows how photonics is on<br />
its path to mak<strong>in</strong>g the 21st century that of the photon.<br />
<strong>Photonics</strong> is everywhere around us: from communications and health, to<br />
materials process<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> production, to light<strong>in</strong>g and photovoltaics and to<br />
everyday products like DVD players and mobile phones. Yet the full disruptive<br />
potential of photonics is only now becom<strong>in</strong>g clear. New advances <strong>in</strong><br />
photonics will revolutionise healthcare and provide new ways of detect<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
treat<strong>in</strong>g and even prevent<strong>in</strong>g illness. In manufactur<strong>in</strong>g, laser process<strong>in</strong>g will<br />
be a basic prerequisite for high-volume, low-cost manufactur<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>Photonics</strong><br />
technology will help overcome the limitations of electronics <strong>in</strong> computers<br />
through all-optical comput<strong>in</strong>g or even quantum comput<strong>in</strong>g. <strong>Photonics</strong> will<br />
move communications <strong>in</strong>to the terabit era by dramatically <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g data<br />
capacity and data transmission speeds, while simultaneously reduc<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
networks’ carbon footpr<strong>in</strong>t and the overall cost per bit. <strong>Photonics</strong> will play<br />
a key role <strong>in</strong> address<strong>in</strong>g the challenges of energy efficiency and mov<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
a low-carbon economy. In the future, solid-state light sources are expected<br />
to outperform almost all other sources <strong>in</strong> terms of efficiency, offer<strong>in</strong>g potential<br />
energy sav<strong>in</strong>gs of 50% or even more, when used with <strong>in</strong>telligent<br />
light management systems. Sensor applications <strong>in</strong> smart power grids, smart<br />
build<strong>in</strong>gs and smart <strong>in</strong>dustrial process control will contribute significantly<br />
to more efficient use of resources and meet<strong>in</strong>g environmental challenges.<br />
Through the long-term commitment of all parties to a common shared vision,<br />
the proposed <strong>Photonics</strong> Public Private Partnership (PPP) <strong>in</strong> Horizon<strong>2020</strong><br />
will lead to a more competitive photonics sector <strong>in</strong> <strong>Europe</strong>. Embrac<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
ma<strong>in</strong> recommendations of the Key Enabl<strong>in</strong>g Technologies (KETs) <strong>in</strong>itiative,<br />
the <strong>Photonics</strong> PPP will be vital for achiev<strong>in</strong>g the critical mass necessary for<br />
develop<strong>in</strong>g a coherent application oriented and market needs driven technology<br />
& <strong>in</strong>novation, and for strengthen<strong>in</strong>g RDI capabilities across the full<br />
value cha<strong>in</strong>, from research to manufactur<strong>in</strong>g and from materials to OEMs<br />
& end users. It will develop and implement an <strong>in</strong>tegrated RDI programme<br />
that fully meets the needs and priorities of markets, and tackles the ‘valley<br />
of death’ problem by undertak<strong>in</strong>g strategic projects. Cont<strong>in</strong>ued close collaboration<br />
with member states 17 will be critical for the success of this PPP.<br />
1 through the <strong>Photonics</strong>21 Mirror Group