Scotland’s laser innovation facility, the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (CAP), has been recognised by the UK government in a new deal that will see the Centre receive £8m over the next four years.
The new funding will be in addition to the £1.3m received annually from Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise.
This is core support which enables further investment in doctoral training and proving new processes and technologies to be prepared for industrial needs.
However, the Glasgow centre has a track record of leveraging this core support more than ten times over in R&D activity across its customer base.
This national support also mirrors the proven model of national and local support used in Germany and cements Fraunhofer CAP’s place in the UK innovation landscape.
Fraunhofer, named after German physicist Joseph von Fraunhofer, is a network of independent research organisations across the world playing a leading role in accelerating technology development.
Established Glasgow in 2012, the not-for-profit Centre for Applied Photonics’ specialist team carries out research and development for a wide range of industrial clients of all sizes – from SMEs to global corporations.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology had previously given £2m of capital equipment support to Fraunhofer CAP in a recent competition to bolster the research and technology community capability.
Scientists at the Centre for Applied Photonics create and develop complex lasers and optical systems to solve many of society’s most pressing challenges across key areas such as space, security and defence, healthcare, renewable energy and communications.
The importance of Fraunhofer CAP as a UK, not just a Scottish asset, has been recognised by influential UK bodies including the Royal Academy of Engineering and UK Government strategies in Innovation, Quantum and Semiconductors.
Simon Andrews, executive director of Fraunhofer UK Research said: “We are extremely pleased to accept this important support from the UK government.
“Over the last nine years, support from Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise alone has been invaluable. Fraunhofer CAP leverages that support for student training, strategic R&D, and subsequently wins contracts and grants. In the last year alone, our team has delivered more than £6m of applied R&D projects for industry.
“While we have a strong local customer base – 45% of our business comes from the central belt of Scotland – funding from the UK government will enable us to meet the growing demand for our services in a world increasingly turning to photonics and quantum technologies to solve problems across a variety of critical fields.”
UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “To unlock the potential of quantum – which will bring transformative benefits to fields like encryption, navigation, and medicine – we are relying on cutting-edge photonics.
“The funding we are announcing for Fraunhofer’s world-class centre in Glasgow will cement the UK’s place as one of the global leaders in the development of this crucial technology.”
The evidence of growth, delivery and efficiency has led to the UK Government to confidently back this world-class centre which has delivered more than 300 projects to more than 200 industrial customers and collaborators, with many projects culminating in field demonstration of cutting edge hardware, giving industry the evidence to pursue commercialisation.
Scotland’s Minister for Business, Richard Lochhead said: “The Scottish Government, with Scottish Enterprise, has provided core funding to Fraunhofer CAP since its inception in 2012. This has been used to build an impressive project portfolio benefitsuoing companies both in Scotland and across the UK.
“I welcome this additional core funding from the UK Government which will enable further growth for our critical technologies supercluster; an innovative cluster of strategic importance to both Scotland and the UK.”
Professor Stephen McArthur, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, added: “Strathclyde values our longstanding partnership with Fraunhofer UK, which has helped drive growth in the UK’s photonics and quantum sectors.
“This funding recognises the Centre’s world-class expertise and its role in delivering high-impact research that supports industry and strengthens the UK’s global competitiveness.”
Fraunhofer CAP works in strategic partnership with the University of Strathclyde, and is based at the University’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow.
The partnership includes a formal joint appointment between Fraunhofer CAP and Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics, alongside joint studentships and a number of strategic collaborative projects.
In August this year, Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics announced its expansion into the second floor of the neighbouring Inovo Building, doubling its lab and office capacity.
This was made possible by the Scottish Government’s decision to give Fraunhofer CAP an additional £500,000 of funding this year, with Scottish Enterprise giving an additional £300,000 to further develop its pioneering work in rapidly growing markets.
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