Brunel and Southampton universities are to be the home of two new hubs aimed at bolstering photonics in manufacturing.
The Future Photonics hubs will receive £10m ($15.1m) over the next seven years, £3m of which comes from the universities, and are partnering 40 companies on the project. The UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council are aiming for the hubs to support the development of the UK’s £10bn photonics industry while supporting £600bn in UK manufacturing output dependent on photonics.
Sir David Payne, director of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Centre and head of the new hub at the institution, said: “The ORC has been at the forefront of photonics for over 40 years. We know from experience the astonishing range of innovative ideas that emerge when scientists and engineers think about manufacturing. The key is to work with industry to understand the opportunity not only to improve existing manufacturing methods but to develop entirely new ways of making things.”
