Applied photonics – from the lab table to the land, sea and air.

Since its beginnings over 6 years ago – the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics has been working at the interface between academia and a broad range of industries. We now have over 30 researchers and students working in laser laboratories and prototyping workshops in Glasgow. Collaborations are growing across UK industry and academia and also throughout the Fraunhofer network in Germany. I would like to give an overview of the current activities at Fraunhofer CAP. I will look at the laser development, instrumentation and prototyping capabilities within the Centre and how they are applied on projects in diverse areas of renewable energy, healthcare and security. The particular requirements for laser sources for quantum technologies will be discussed. Finally, the emerging photonics application sectors of construction and agritech will be presented