EU approves Extreme Light Infrastructure

April 21, 2011

Prague, Czech Republic--The European Commission has reportedly given final clearance to build the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) in the Czech Republic. A statement from the Czech Education Ministry says the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn delivered the necessary signature on Wednesday. The new center will be opened in Dolni Brezany near Prague in 2014.

Stephen G. Anderson

Prague, Czech Republic--The European Commission has reportedly given final clearance to build the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) in the Czech Republic. A statement from the Czech Education Ministry says the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn delivered the necessary signature on Wednesday. The new center will be opened in Dolni Brezany near Prague in 2014.

The European Commission is expected to spend about US$400 million on each of the first three "pillars" of the Extreme Light Infrastructure—dedicated ultrafast laser laboratories in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.

The project will help the three eastern European nations develop their own scientific infrastructure while building new labs around 10-PW-class lasers. The projects will also lay the groundwork for building the 200 PW laser at a site to be selected in 2012.

Ultimately the ELI will become the world's most powerful laser.

Source: Czechposition.com

About the Author

Stephen G. Anderson | Director, Industry Development - SPIE

Stephen Anderson is a photonics industry expert with an international background and has been actively involved with lasers and photonics for more than 30 years. As Director, Industry Development at SPIE – The international society for optics and photonics – he is responsible for tracking the photonics industry markets and technology to help define long-term strategy, while also facilitating development of SPIE’s industry activities. Before joining SPIE, Anderson was Associate Publisher and Editor in Chief of Laser Focus World and chaired the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar. Anderson also co-founded the BioOptics World brand. Anderson holds a chemistry degree from the University of York and an Executive MBA from Golden Gate University.