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at the School of Physics & Astronomy, University of St Andrews
Welcome
Launched in 1997, the P h o t o n i c s Innovation Centre offers a state-of-the-art facility for collaborative, applications orientated research & development of photonic based technologies. You will find within these pages a flavour of the support we can offer your organisation in terms of the technology base from which we operate, the modern and well equipped laboratory facilities available and the range of expertise offerred by the people involved. Thank you for your interest in our activities and we look forward to having the opportunity to discuss your requirement with you.
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Raison d'être
It is well recognised that exploitation of the scientific research base and wider expertise residing within our universities will continue to be a key factor in growing today's knowledge economy. For this process to be successful, it is crucial that an infrastructure exists that provides a knowledge exchange environment in which industry and other agencies can work efficiently with academia, delivering innovative product solutions while advancing, an often interdisciplinary, knowledge base. Recognition of this need saw, in July 1997, the award of a Research Development Grant by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of St Andrews, for the setting up of the P h o t o n i c s Innovation Centre (PIC). PIC addresses the University's and Council's objectives, through helping to bridge, in the case of photonics, the gap that exists between the financing of fundamental research and its subsequent application and commercialisation.
Photonic technologies have been identified as a key priority within science and technology; described by several foresighting initiatives as being set to become the technology of the 21st Century. In today's knowledge driven economy it is therefore regarded as vital that strong industry/academic links are forged and an infrastructure established that promotes the successful commercial exploitation of the world-leading photonic research base in St Andrews (RAE2008 have recently placed St Andrews Physics & Astronomy joint 2nd in the UK for research performance).
The Photonics Innovation Centre (PIC) provides a positive contribution to this infrastructural requirement in a number of ways:
- Promoting the further development of research 'breakthroughs' by enabling innovative devices to be designed, prototyped, characterised and fully tested, usually in collaborative programmes;
- Promoting enhanced opportunity for the assessment and development of prototype devices in new applications;
- Facilitating a more rapid take-up of new devices by providing 'test-drive' opportunities;
- Nurturing and encouraging spin-out companies through access to facilities;
- Enabling the more widespread use of novel prototype devices within the Photonics Research Groups in St Andrews for the promotion of fundamental and applied research;
- Enhancing the training of post-graduate and post-doctoral Research Fellows through working in close collaboration with industry;
Promoting the successful exploitation of emerging photonic
technologies, through engagement in focussed knowledge exchange programmes
that deliver collaborative research and subsequent prototype development,
fabrication and end-user assessment opportunity.