“Unlocking and Boosting Research Potential for Photonics in Latvia – Towards Effective Integration in the European Research Area” (FOTONIKA-LV FP7-REGPOT-CT-2011-285912)
Motto: “Photons do the job” Photonics is the science and technology of generating, controlling, and detecting photons. On the landscape of science, photonics is adjacent to quantum optics and optoelectronics. The relevance and significance of photonics has been precisely summarised by the Former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science and Innovation in the UK, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, who said on 13 July 2006 in the context of UK Photonics Strategy.
“…the impact of photonics in the 21st century will be as significant as electronics was in the 20th, or steam in the 19th…“
Photonics today is a trans-disciplinary science and technology that studies and exploits emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection of light by optical components, a range of photonics based instruments, lasers, convential and novel light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation and sophisticated nano-photonic systems. Photonics (as described in monographies and textbooks, Salex.2) enables a range of optical technologies, spectroscopy, laser technology and laser based techniques, holography, material processing, remote sensing, metrology (e.g. time and frequency measurements, laser ranging), material processing, biological and chemical sensing, medical diagnostics, medical therapy, and other applications. The concept behind the present proposal is to use the platform of FOTONIKA – LV to transform the growing photonics sector in Latvia into a national R&D priority having the strategic goal to transfer its scientific potential into a substantial program of technical innovation expressed in form of new industrial products. For that purpose, the Association FOTONIKA-LV at the University of Latvia (LU, FOTONIKA-LV3) has been created to combine the intellectual capacity of three strong research institutes at the University of Latvia (LU ASI, LU AI, and LU GGI).
PROJECT Coordinator – Dr. Arnolds Ubelis
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