of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective The Leverage Effect

The Leverage Effect of Photonics Technologies: the European Perspective
The Social trends show that photonics is highly aligned with the developments
in demands, looking for more, better and innovative information
and communication.
The Technological drivers show that input from other disciplines can
be a source of inspiration and the knowledge economy will continue
to create demand. Changes in the organisation of research will require
adaptation and new business models.
Climate change will still be the most important Environmental driver,
but attention is needed to also other environmental issues than climate
change, like waste reduction/recycling and reduction of toxic emissions.
The availability of various raw materials can lead to further tensions.
Last but not least, the analysis of Political drivers shows that governmental
policy is crucial for the industry. Coordination within Europe to
align research and innovation is of importance in this globalized world
and focusing on grand challenges might be instrumental.
Overall it can be concluded that the external driving forces to the photonics
research and industry are strong. Although these factors are general
to the European economy, the photonics industry is highly affected
by these factors because of its relatively young character. Research and
innovation are important to the sector and it shows highly dynamic heterogeneous
economic activities. This dynamism is susceptible to changes
in the external environment. Therefore, attention needs to be given
to support research and industry to both anticipate these changes and
deal with some of the major challenges.
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