Seeing the Light with Photonics4All

Steinbeis coordinates EU project promoting optical technologies

The Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum (SEZ) has initiated a new project called Photonics4All to introduce more people – especially children, adolescents, startups, and SMEs – to the field of photonics. The project brings together ten partners from nine European countries, who will share 1 million of funding from the EU to help develop innovative communication instruments.

The SEZ is using the Photonics4All project to organize a variety of events to mark the International Year of Light and underscore the potential offered by optical technologies. So far, this has involved the first Photonics Science Slam in the early summer, which was attended by around 100 youngsters at the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, a foundation based in Stuttgart. The national science slam event was organized by Optec- Net Germany, one of its members Photonics BW and Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. Carsten Reichert, who is studying toward a master’s at Stuttgart University, won the first prize for his presentation on an optical technology that can be used to convert a mobile handset into a “microscope to go.”

Children and adolescents in the state of Baden-Württemberg could also use their summer vacation to explore the technology behind light at a special Children University at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The SEZ ran six events in August 2015, in which the Photonics Explorer kit from the company Eyest was used, allowing roughly 30 students at a time to conduct experiments in small groups.

In September, also a photonics “boot camp” for entrepreneurs and startups took place at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Students, doctoral candidates, and startups at the boot camps discovered more about starting a business. The boot camps also allowed participants to network and exchange notes on innovative business models. This was made easier by the interactive nature of the event and team exercises. The boot camp was organized by Photonics Austria.

Aside from the SEZ, which is coordinating the project, other German partners include OptecNet Germany and one of its members, Photonics BW. There are also other photonics experts involved from France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, and Spain. The project has received EU funding since January 2015 and was launched to coincide with the International Year of Light.

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