Nanyang Technological University (NTU; Singapore) has launched the SGD Photonics Institute, which owes its existence to a partnership between NTU and the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton (Southampton, England). In addition, NTU unveiled what it says is Singapore’s first fiber-optic research and manufacturing facility, housed at one of the institute’s five research centers.
The NTU Photonics Institute will focus on photonics research on topics including fiber optics, lasers, and optical technology for consumer products such as DVD/Blu-ray devices and remote-control devices. The $80 million institute is funded and supported by industry partners and various national agencies, including A*STAR, DSO National Laboratories, the Economic Development Board Singapore, the Ministry of Education, and the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore.
The Photonics Institute will include five different research centers:
--Centre for Optical Fibre Technology
--Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies
--LUMINOUS! Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Lighting and Displays
--Centre for Optical & Laser Engineering
--OPTIMUS! Photonic Centre of Excellence
The institute will be headed by three codirectors: NTU professors Tjin Swee Chuan and Nikolay Zheludev; and professor Sir David Payne, the director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre and Zepler Institute at Southampton. It will have a total of 120 scientists and staff at its five research centers, which will have a combined floor space of 4000 square meters.
The ORC has traditionally built strong links with industry, research institutions, and universities around the world, from informal collaborations to large-scale funding. For example, spin-out companies such as Fianium, SENSA, Fibercore, and Stratophase have commercialized the results of ORC research.
"Our partnership with NTU is symbolic of Southampton’s strategy for internationalization: working closely with world-class universities to achieve mutual benefits in research, education, and enterprise," said University of Southampton Vice-Chancellor professor Don Nutbeam at the Photonics Institute's opening ceremony.
Source: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2014/oct/14_198.shtml
