European consortium builds “photonics roadmap”
Five European photonics companies have established the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC).
The five companies are Aixtron and Osram Opto Semiconductors of Germany, UK-based organic displays developer Cambridge Display Technology, Philips Lighting of the Netherlands and France-based Sagem.
EPIC’s goal is to build sustainable growth for European optoelectronics industries by bringing together the three important sectors of the photonics industry: fabrication equipment suppliers, components manufacturers and the users of photonics components and systems.
The consortium also plans to develop and maintain a technology roadmap for photonics technologies that are critical for the development of European industries.
This roadmap will be a basis for its discussions with European Commission in order to design research and development programs that respond to the needs of European companies.
Aixtron’s Bernd Schulte is president of the newly-formed association. He said: “EPIC is seeking 75-100 members from companies and institutions that are highly committed to the success of photonics products that are conceived in Europe, and sold all over the world.”
EPIC was developed by the OPTIMIST coordinating programme of the IST-5th framework research programme of the European Commission. EPIC is owned and operated by its members who determine the actions and the initiatives of the association.
Membership is open to companies, research institutions, universities, and financial institutions that have operations in the European economic area, including the countries of the European Community, the candidate countries, as well as all non-member European states.
