A new Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics is to be located at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
Funded by Fraunhofer and the University, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council, the new centre will be a hub for industry-driven laser research and technology for a variety of sectors including healthcare, security, energy and transport.
At the same time Fraunhofer will establish at the University a UK headquarters organisation, Fraunhofer UK Research. This will be the umbrella organisation for any additional UK-based research centres in the future. The Centre for Applied Photonics is expected to be the model for any future Fraunhofer research centres around the UK.
Michael Russell MSP is the Scottish government’s cabinet secretary for education and Lifelong Learning. He said: ‘Scottish universities are known around the world for their excellence and Glasgow has a global reputation for advanced research and technology. It's great news that this success has helped to attract Fraunhofer to Scotland.’
The UK headquarters and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics will join a growing community of Fraunhofer centres globally. Fraunhofer has more than 20,000 employees in more than 80 research units in Germany. It is also establishing centres throughout Europe, Asia and North America, most recently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The new centre will collaborate with this Fraunhofer network.
