UK government promotes nontraditional photonics applications

The Department of Trade and Ministry (DTI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK will invest u¥to $15 million to foster the application of photonics technology beyond the usual fiberoptic telecommunications sectors. Nontraditional areas such as computing, medicine, and transportation are targeted in which DTI and EPSRC will fund $9 million and $6 million, respectively, with matching funds coming from industry. The program will introduce small and mediumsized companies to the benefits of collaborating in R&D to adapt these technologies to new application areas.