10:20 - 10:40 hrs:
Product Demonstrations

Market Overview
Session Chair: Amy Hanlon, SPIE

11:00 - 11:30 hrs
The Global Photonics Industry: Scale, Growth, and Economic Research


Amy Hanlon, Director Technology Outreach, SPIE

Drawing on data from the 2026 SPIE Global Industry Report, this presentation examines the scale, growth, and global economic reach of the photonics industry. It quantifies the $381 billion photonics components base and its role in enabling multi-trillion-dollar markets and services, while highlighting long-term growth trends that continue to outpace global GDP. The analysis also explores regional shifts, company dynamics, and productivity differences shaping the industry’s evolution, providing context for strategic decision-making across the photonics value chain.

11:30 - 11:45 hrs
Photonics for Defence


Thierry Robin, Partner and Co-Founder, TEMATYS (France)

Photonics is a foundational technology for the defence sector, supporting a wide range of advanced military systems. This presentation gives a brief overview of the market, trends, and opportunities for Photonics technologies in defence applications, also known as Optronics.

11:45 - 12:00 hrs
Photonics for AI


Benoît d’Humières, Partner and Co-Founder, TEMATYS (France)

The size of AI models is growing exponentially. And the number of these always bigger models is also growing exponentially. AI needs huge new computing capacity which would lead to a mind-blowing energy consumption with existing microelectronic technologies. This is why AI desperately needs photonics.

12:00 - 13:00 hrs



Photonics Research Support
Session Chair: Bob Hainsey, SPIE


13:00 – 13:20 hrs:
Qu-Pilot Quantum Pilot Line

Ségolène Olivier, Quantum Photonics Program Manager, CEA-Leti, France


13:20 - 13:40 hrs:
The UK Quantum Technology Research Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing: an engine for the creation and growth of startup and spinout companies

Miles Padgett, Royal Society Research Professor, The University of Glasgow, UK

I will reflect on the 10-year journey for quantum imaging and sensing in the UK as we transitioned from translating science into technology to translating technology into commercial gain. What were the things we got right? What would I have done differently? And which of these lessons might apply from quantum to other emerging technologies?


13:40 – 14:00 hrs
PhotonHub: the gateway to photonics innovation for European entrepreneurial researchers and companies

Hugo Thienpont, Director, Brussels Photonics B-PHOT, Belgium
PhotonHub Europe is the EU’s flagship innovation hub for photonics—one of the most transformative enabling technologies driving the digital and green transitions. By providing streamlined access to cutting-edge technology expertise, advanced infrastructure, and hands-on support, PhotonHub empowers entrepreneurs and companies—particularly start-ups, spin-offs, SMEs, and scale-ups—to accelerate both technology development and investment readiness. All services are heavily subsidized by the European Commission to maximize impact. Through cross-border collaboration and deep-tech innovation, PhotonHub fosters the adoption of photonics across strategic sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and food, energy, space, and communications. This initiative strengthens critical value chains, creates high-value jobs, and reinforces Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness. In this presentation, we will demonstrate how entrepreneurial researchers and companies can benefit from PhotonHub’s expertise platforms, pilot lines, and foundries, as well from its business and financial coaching services to accelerate their photonics journey.


14:00 – 14:20 hrs
Open-source foundry approach for accelerating research in silicon photonics

Emre Kaplan, PDK Manager, CORNERSTONE, UK
Advancing silicon photonics technologies requires not only device innovation but also accessible, transparent fabrication. I will highlight how CORNERSTONE’s open-source, licence-free foundry services support academic research and training, as well as rapid prototyping and early-stage industrial R&D.



14:20 – 14:40 hrs
Photonics Innovation scaled at the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart

Niels Quack, Director and Chairman of the Board, IMS CHIPS (Germany)

The future of photonics and microelectronics relies on effective transfer from discovery-driven research to market-driven applications. This talk highlights how cross-disciplinary micro- and nano-engineering accelerates scalable innovation from device concepts to system-level solutions.


14:40 – 15:00 hrs
Patenting your inventions in the fields of Optics and Photonics
Claire Speiser, SATT Conectus; Anne-Sophie Auriol, Lavoix; Arnaud Pouderous, Lavoix (France)




What are the specific characteristics of inventions in the fields of optics and photonics, and how can they be protected? During this presentation, we will provide an overview of patent filings in these fields (applicants, industry sectors, distribution). We will introduce the key concepts of patent-based invention protection and highlight the particular challenges related to optics and photonics. Finally, we will explore how to protect and leverage your intellectual assets through case-based examples drawn from the experience of a technology transfer acceleration company operating in these fields, namely SATT Conectus.


15:00 - 16:00 hrs:
Fireside Chat - Illuminating the Realities of Careers in Photonics


Chair: Lewis Hill , Max Planck Institute, Erlangen, Germany

Guests:


Caroline Boudoux, Co-Founder, Castor Optics & Peregrine Photon, Professor, Polytechnique Montréal



Agnes Hübscher , Senior Director Corporate Affairs, Communications & Industry Relations, Edmund Optics



Frédérique Vanholsbeeck Director, Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, Professor, University of Auckland



Reinhard Voelkel, SalesPro4U SA, Switzerland


Careers in photonics span academia, startups, large industry, and research organisations—but expectations on both sides don’t always align. This fireside chat brings together leaders from across the photonics ecosystem to openly discuss what students expect from photonics careers, what employers are really looking for, and how both can better prepare for a rapidly evolving workforce. Through candid discussion and lived experience, the panel will explore career pathways, skills gaps, mobility between sectors, and practical advice for building sustainable and fulfilling careers in photonics."

In Cooperation with
University of Strasbourg SPIE Student Chapter

Regional and National Photonics Support

16:00 – 16:20 hrs
Photonics France


Thierry Georges, CEO, Oxxius

16:20 – 16:30 hrs
Institut Photonique: a unique approach to photonics for European players


Marc Sciamanna, Chair in Photonics, Director of Institut Photonique, CentraleSupélec

16:30 - 16:40 hrs
Photonics in Eastern France: Opportunities and Growth Perspectives


Patricia Hatesuer, Grand Est Développement


16:40 – 17:00 hrs
Photonics in Germany: Cluster Landscape, Market Insights & Future Strategies


Andreas Ehrhardt, Executive Director, PhotonicsBW