New funding for Scotland’s photonics sector
Initial £237k of funding announced by Scotland's Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (PQA)
A diverse range of projects, which include devices for more accurate timing, ultra-secure encryption, and retinal monitoring, will benefit from £237,000 of funding support from Scotland's Photonics and Quantum Accelerator (PQA).
A further £3.2m will be available for future funding rounds, with the second call for applications open until 17th December 2024.
The PQA unites researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt and St Andrews with local authorities and industry bodies.
At Heriot-Watt University, a project led by Brian Gerardot, will build a prototype autonomous semiconductor device assembly system utilising photonic technologies. The machine rapidly and reproducibly builds novel materials and devices with photonic, quantum, semiconductor, magnetic, or ferroelectric properties, enabling many new applications.
Also, at Heriot-Watt University, Natalia Herrera Valencia will develop an easy-to-use quantum photonic system that will create cost-effective entanglement links over a telecoms network. This will enable ultra-secure encryption and interconnected quantum computers. British Telecom is trialling the system in a data centre environment.
At the University of Glasgow, Andy Harvey will work with Dunfermline-based Optos to transfer a new retinal-monitoring technique for use within their scanning ophthalmoscopes, making their products more competitive.
The University of Strathclyde’s Martin Lee, Paulo Moriya, and Alan Kemp are partnering with Caledonian Photonics Ltd to develop a compact diode-pumped titanium-sapphire laser with a narrow spectral linewidth as a work-horse component for quantum technology, particularly for sensing and timing applications.
Andy Harvey, the PQA’s principal investigator, said: “These are all wonderful opportunities to create lasting impact in Scotland. The PQA will boost growth in the photonics and quantum sector in Scotland to over £4bn by 2030 through supporting faster transfer of research to industry and increasing the numbers of skilled people in Scotland who can enable our existing companies to grow and new ones to form and thrive.
“These projects are fantastic examples of the variety of opportunities for photonics to underpin emerging industries such as quantum communications and computing, while also doing a public service by helping our literary heritage to be safely stored and accessed.”
The Photonics & Quantum Accelerator is a £4.7M Place Based Impact Acceleration Account funded by UKRI via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
