Mission Statement

To provide a focus for academic and industrial organisations involved in the research and development of laser source and delivery technology and laser materials processing applications; to identify common needs and create the possibility of joint initiatives and activities.

Scope of the PPI Group includes:

The establishment of a UK-wide virtual laser laboratory or a consortium of UK laser processing research centres. Possibilities deriving or related to this concept include:

• Launching a web-based directory of laser and laser related equipment and research personnel.
• Providing a web-based Forum for researchers to communicate through.
• Providing a web site portal for industry to access laser materials processing research laboratories.
• Undertaking coordinating activities to address common interests and perhaps defining future needs (e.g. updating the UK Photonics Strategy).
• Providing links with funding organisations (Photonics²¹, EU Commission, UK Government bodies).
• Developing a bridge to cross the TRL 4-6 gap for the development of new products and processes/technologies.
• Support an organisation, or a group of organisations, who can interact with the relevant research providers, identify potential commercialisation winners, create strategies for the development of those products or processes and carry out the development in conjunction with companies or individuals who could turn the development into a product.
• The PPI Group could provide the forum for debate on technology transfer in the laser-processing context, squaring the circle between industrial customers looking for practical and economic solutions and research centres offering creativity and originality.
• The PPI Group could provide research workshops and technology transfer activities.

2008-2009 Chair of the group: Professor Lin Li, The University of Manchester.

 High Value Manufacturing: step change in competitiveness.

This Technology Strategy Board competition opens on 19/1/2009 with expressions of interest due by 26/2/2009. Proposals are sort that bring a STEP CHANGES, i.e. 25-50% improvement, in the competitiveness of the participating companies manufacturing costs, life-cycle costs, environmental impact, product performance, durability and reliability, sales and/or time to market. Photonics, e.g. laser based materials processing, can be a key enabler for increasing manufacturing efficiency & capability and we expect several proposals featuring photonics/laser technology into this program. Projects can range from small, highly focused Basic Research aimed at establishing technical feasibility, through to Applied Research, and to Experimental Development projects. If your organisation is involved in supplying components or systems into manufacturing applications this competition is likely to be relevant to you. For further details see here

European funding

A series of Framework 7 ICT calls relevant to Photonics are anticipated in the Autumn of 2009. The final work program has yet to be announced but you can find indication to the content here .

Check out the ‘interesting text’ and ‘a list of possible’ link for information that would allow you to start to think of relevant projects and partners. There are also current calls open in nanotechnology and new materials that may be relevant to you, see http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm.

Thanks to SEPNET, The South East Photonics Network, for supplying these summaries

Technology Strategy Board Competition

This Competition opened on 10/11/2008 with expressions of interest due by 18/12/2008.

£10M has been allocated to fund highly innovative collaborative research and development in the area of Sustainable Materials and Products. Funding is available for industry-driven projects focused on materials technologies that will enable the UK to rapidly meet urgent and difficult environmental and social challenges and to create wealth, via the development and implementation of new or improved materials, processes and products. The focus will be on the development of technologies, across the materials sector value chain, for:

• The substitution/reduction of materials which are scarce, difficult to source, expensive or deleterious to health and the environment.
• The development of less polluting, wasteful and energy intensive processes, including for recycling.
• The design of products with extended life or which are easier to repair, reuse or recycle

For further details see here

Technology Strategy Board Competition

This competition opened on 10/11/2008 with expressions of interest due by 18/12/2008.

A second round opens on 19/01/2009 with expressions of interest due by 18/02/2009. An indicative £1million of Technology Strategy Board investment is available for Collaborative Research and Development feasibility projects in the area of next generation optical internet access. The intention is to help establish future European collaborations that will participate in larger initiatives such as Framework 7 or the proposed Photonics21 ERANET+. Total project costs must be in the range of £30k-100k and the project should last between two and six months. Applications can be submitted into either or both of the rounds with no preference given to
either approach.

For further details see here