of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective The Leverage Effect

The Leverage Effect of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Telecommunikations
Infrastucture
Science, Research
& Development
Defence and
Security Activities
Aviation and Space
Infrastructure
Medicine &
Healthcare Activities
Recreation, Culture
and Education
Environmental
Monitoring and
Protection
Electricity
Generation &
Supply
Supply
Protection Electricity
Logistics
Medicine &
Infrastructure Defence and
Road & Rail
Infrastructure
Generation &
& Development
and Education Environmental
Monitoring and
Transport Infrastructure and Water Supply
Security Activities
Retail & Services Construction Built Environment and
Science, Research
Telecommunications
Aviation and Space Healthcare Recreation, Activities Culture
Retail & Services
Road & Rail
Transport and
Logistics
Infrastucture
Construction and
Built Environment
2010
2020
Water Supply
Figure 24: Overview of the average survey results (LIM) on impact of photonic technologies to
selected markets, comparing the scores in 2010 and 2020
It is interesting to see how the developments in consumer markets are
connected to the highest increases in dependency by 2020. Surprisingly,
the final markets with the most potential growth in leverage are in construction
and environmental activities, followed by medicine, whereas
the growth in the dependency on photonics of telecommunications
is comparatively low, because telecommunications is already heavily
dependent on photonics technology. However, this overview can be
wrongly interpreted. The fact that there is limited growth in dependency
does not imply that there is necessarily little scope for further innovation.
Admittedly, where markets are more mature and already show
high dependency on photonics; more innovation is often difficult. The
dependency of Science, research and development on photonics, for example,
is at more or less its top level. Also, it should be noted that these
overviews do not include changes in market size; e.g. the telecom market
is expected to grow significantly, but this is not reflected in the LIM.
110 / 190
There is no area where a significant decline in dependency on photonics
technologies is expected by the experts, although this could be
conceivable. This shows that photonics is still a growing and developing
industry and that increases can be expected, especially in several areas
where photonics plays a modest role today. New markets will open up
for photonics technologies – with fresh demand either from industries
or end-consumers; this is expected, for example, in the food and beverage
manufacturing industry. In such areas, “universal” photonics technologies
that can have many applications like scanning, sensors and imaging
technologies will drive the rapid growth in dependency. Growth
in dependency comes about in three ways.