http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news.xml 2010-05-17T08:30:00+00:00 text/html 2010-05-17T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/route-des-lasers-seeking-rapprochement-with-eli-77.html In 2009, the decision was made to share installation of the ELI infrastructures among three countries: Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. Consequently, in order to bring together the best skills in Europe, the Czech Republic will issue invitations to tender amounting to €160 million. Following a meeting in Paris, a working meeting at CCIB on April 13 gave certain companies of the Route des Lasers closer a clearer idea of how they could participate in the ELI project. After a visit to ALPhANOV, Florian Gliksohn of the Czech Academy of Sciences's Institute of Physics and Czech Director of ELI, presented this major project and the work of his institute. Two Czech companies also outlined their activities and involvement in ELI: Crytur (manufacturer of crystals for the laser) and Vaakum Praha (vacuum technologies), along with a representative of the Turnov Workshop on Optic Development (Institute of Plasma Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences). Following a brief presentation of the Route des Lasers cluster, Amplitude Systèmes, Imagine Optics, SEIV Aquitaine, ALPhANOV and CELIA presented their specialties related to the needs of the ELI project. By demonstrating the excellence of Czech and Aquitaine know-how, these presentations led to a series of informal discussions enabling the companies to sketch out future partnerships. The afternoon was devoted to a tour of the Laser Mégajoule. In the context of this international partnership approach, a meeting planned for April 20 with the leaders of European HiPER project was postponed until mid-May following recent air traffic difficulties. The purpose of HiPER is to demonstrate the potential of laser inertial confinement fusion to produce energy. At that time the role which Aquitaine might play in this project will be discussed, making the most of the know-how developed in the context of the PETAL project, involving a petawatt laser being built in Aquitaine. The 2010 Franco-Czech technological days were organized in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Paris, the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Science, the Franco-Czech Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bordeaux and the Route des Lasers Competitiveness Cluster. LANDMARKS ELI, one of three “giant lasers” currently being built, along with HIPER and the LMJ This unique key scientific tool, representing an estimated investment of €400 million, focuses the know-how of 300 scientists from 50 laboratories in 13 European countries. Its purpose is to provide scientists, engineers and medical doctors with a laser capable of the highest intensities, thanks to ultra short impulsions. This installation, intended to serve European needs, represents a first: it will employ the world's most powerful laser and will be able to provide extremely brief impulsions measuring 100,000 times the energy produced by all the power-plants in the world. Fields of study of ELI and its applications ELI seeks to realize a long-standing ambition shared by physicists since the first functional laser was developed in 1960. ELI may be powerful enough to stimulate a vacuum to the point of decomposition into elemental particles and anti-particles thanks to its tremendous intensities. The extremely short duration of these impulsions makes possible real-time observations of movements or extremely brief reactions measured in attoseconds (10 -18 of a second) or even in zeptoseconds (10 -21 of a second). These ultra-intense laser impulsions could also reduce the distances needed by particle accelerators to produce a beam of particles or radiation by a factor of 1000 to 10,000. ELI will open up a new branch of optics called ultra-relativistic optics, leading to ramifications in particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Applications related to extreme light sources are particularly numerous in the fields of health, biology, science of materials, X-rays and X-ray therapy. text/html 2010-05-10T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/polinum-french-platform-for-digital-books-71.html Polinum, launched in December 2009, is a platform for digital books, intended to provide a technological and economic response to these questions. This collaborative research and development consortium for the digitization and optimization of industrial and informational heritage pursues several objectives related to cultural, editorial and economic optimization: - The creation of complete digitization chains, going from digitization to distribution via screens and modules integrating the most advanced technologies currently available; - It constitutes an R&D center to improve the entire technological chain, guaranteeing the interoperability of content, establishing standards and anticipating uses and needs; - It offers publishers and industrial or legacy content owners, both in the private and public sectors, the capacity to create, test and validate their business models. Polinum, presented by the i2S company, is co-financed by the Aquitaine Regional Council and FEDER European funds. It has premises on the university campuses of Bordeaux. In addition to i2S, Polinum brings together the Aquitaine based companies of Amanager and Arkhenum, the Labri laboratory and software provider Exalead on its advisory board. It has received the quality label of the Route des Lasers Competitiveness Cluster. text/html 2010-05-10T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/cite-de-la-photonique-and-laseris-welcome-new-tenants-72.html By choosing these sites, companies benefit from premises and an environment totally dedicated to the optics-laser sector, whether near the Pessac-Talence university campus for Photonique or near CEA's large lasers in the case of Laseris. The development of SEML Route des Lasers technology parks does not stop here. Two new buildings are currently being studied for Photonique with delivery scheduled for the first half of 2011: - The first, called MEROPA, will offer 500 m² of ISO 8 certified clean rooms, and will welcome Amplitude Systems. - As for the KHARA building, also equipped with clean rooms, it meets the low energy consumption standard. Its first tenant will be an extension of EBC-Medical. Two other buildings will also be constructed at Laseris: - The GHIBLI (low-energy consumption) building with approximately 1000 m² of photo-voltaic panels able to produce 138 kWc installed on the roof. - And the DZARI building, future Data Center of CEA. text/html 2010-05-10T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/50th-anniversary-of-the-laser-in-aquitaine-75.html A roving exhibition on lasers was created in partnership with the University of Limoges, the University of Bordeaux and the national education administration. The exhibition, carried aboard the Scientibus (www.scientibus.fr) involved some twenty experiments, ranging from a completely disassembled laser to stereo-lithography applied to cranial prosthetics, and including a laser fountain, measurement of the speed of light, laser welding and the principles behind the CD. After a presentation in Limoges on March 13, the Scientibus headed for the highways of Aquitaine, stopping in Sarlat, Agen, Anglet, Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux. Over 200 students from middle school through high school visited the bus, expressing their interest, through discussions with the presenters, who were all students at the University of Bordeaux 1. Each evening, the bus opened to the general public preceding two conferences: “The Laser at Fifty” and “CEA's Main Laser Instruments.” This successful tour wound up on Saturday, March 20 at Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux, where the bus welcomed 150 visitors, who each spent about an hour exploring the exhibits. The CEA CESTA, intensely involved in this event, exceptionally organized the reception of 275 students from preparatory classes to the LMJ site on Saturday March 20. Organizations such as Oxymetal, Eolite, Lyracom, CELIA, CPMOH, the BIC platform and ALPhANOV also opened their doors to the general public, and welcomed 80 visitors. In all, over 1000 people gained insight on laser applications. Given the success of this tour, the Scientibus and its laser experiments will travel to Ecole Polytechnique at the Palaiseau campus on June 23, 2010 for an encounter of Nobel prize winners, and selected secondary and university students from all over France. These roving demonstrations are the precursors to a major laser exhibition planned at the Aquitaine Regional Council Headquarters from November 14 to December 2, 2010, culminating with a giant laser fountain. A national symposium will be held to conclude the 50th anniversary of the laser on December 2 in Bordeaux. text/html 2010-05-03T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/photonics-business-trip-to-china-69.html Bordeaux Route des Lasers at Laser World of Photonics China This year LASER World of PHOTONICS CHINA confirmed its role as one the most important platforms for laser and optics technology in the Popular Republic of China. The record numbers also demonstrated that the event is now on track to become the leading laser and photonics show in the whole of Asia. A French Pavilion coordinated by Ubifrance, the French Trade Commission, enabled the following companies from the Aquitaine Region (Amplitude Systèmes, Cordouan Technologies and Imagine Optics) to present their innovative products to more than 25,000 visitors. They also used this opportunity to work with their distributors in China, meet new partners and old friends. Alongside with the companies, representatives from the Route des laser cluster promoted the strengths and expertise in optics and laser in the Aquitaine Region. Participants attended a conference given by Prof. Zhang Wei, Vice director of the Shanghai Institute of Laser Technology entitled “Laser, Optics and Related Application and Development in China”. During his talk, he gave key information and provided advice to the French companies on how to enter the Chinese photonics market. Guangzhou and Wuhan Representatives of the French photonics industry also spent one day in Wuhan in Hubei Province, a city known as one of the major laser industry bases in China, where the Aquitaine Region has opened a local business representation and support office in charge of helping Aquitaine companies to improve their export strategies and to promote Aquitaine skills and know-how. Visits of the Chinese leaders - Chutian Laser, HG Laser, Lype Laser Solution, Gemming Laser, Hua Laser, Sunic and Zhongtai, as well as a Sino-French workshop on Photonics Technologies were organised in collaboration with the National Engineering Research Center for Laser Processing and the Wuhan Laser Association of Optics Valley of China. During the workshop, the companies presented their products in front of 40 photonics professionals (academics and industrials) and free discussions followed. Moreover companies from the Bordeaux Route des Lasers cluster were given the opportunity to meet potential business partners in Guangzhou through a series of personalized B to B meetings organised by the French Trade Commission in Guangzhou. text/html 2010-05-03T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/05/outcome-positive-for-invest-in-photonics2010-70.html “We are very pleased with the results of the second edition of Invest in Photonics. Participation exceeded the last event, several factors are stimulating industry growth, and the 12 selected photonics projects presented were of high quality and well received,” said Bernard Couillaud, chairman of the Invest in Photonics organizing committee. “On the financial side, we see that investors are cautiously optimistic. In 2010, there are signs of a gradual increase in investment levels and exit transactions. While we are not out of the woods yet, we are clearly in better shape than in 2008.” The 2010 Invest in Photonics welcomed 125 participants, a little more than in 2008. C-level directors (CEOs, CFOs, CSOs etc) from small businesses and institutions made up 64 per cent of the visitors, with 42 per cent of attendees coming from the US, Canada and European countries outside France. The 12 companies selected for the special funding session were seeking potential funding in the range of EUR 30 million. They presented projects covering a wide range of market segments. These included optical transport, medical equipment, and intelligent lighting, an area where the total market for LED, for example, was USD 5.9 billion in 2009. Event organizers awarded the prize for the “Best of the Convention” to LED Linear, a maker of scalable interior and exterior lighting systems using LED technology, based in Germany, for the originality of its product concept and its relevance to the market. Presentations from 11 of the world's leading specialists in photonics, as well as those of the 5 investment panel members, all confirmed the international nature of the industry, and that it offers strong growth potential from USD 356 billion in 2008 to USD 493 billion in 2010, according to Michael Lebby, president and CEO of the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association. Above all, the presentations showed that photonics is an enabling technology that is multi-disciplinary and hence it is extremely pervasive, spanning as it does energy & the environment, life sciences & healthcare, defense & security, materials and basic research. “Photonics enables many things and is a part of our lifestyle,” announced Michael Lebby in his presentation on Green Photonics™: Will it Change Our Lives Over the Next Decade? “Photonics will be integrated – just like ICs 50 years ago - and drive new product designs. Photonics is green and will enable new technologies and products that will also be green.” According to Couillaud, the financial community is becoming more educated about photonics, its diversity and applications that go far beyond telecom, as well as its growth potential in a diverse range of markets. “Photonics investment shrank in 2009, similar to other industries. But it is coming back, gradually, although the pace is uncertain. Our goals for the next Invest in Photonics will be to grow the number of industrial company participants and make the industry more understandable to non-specialists and consumers.” Invest in Photonics is an investment-networking and market development event that facilitates meetings between entrepreneurs and executives of emerging companies in photonics and investors and analysts. The high growth industries that were represented at the event: energy efficiency, the environment, telecommunications, healthcare and consumer technology, all employ photonics technology in leading edge applications. About Invest in Photonics® Invest in Photonics® was created in 2008 by the ALPhA technology cluster (Aquitaine Laser Photonique et Applications), CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission and the largest government-funded technological research organization in France) and the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of facilitating meetings between investors and emerging companies in photonics, addressing business issues in photonics, as well as increasing the visibility of the industry. Several international organizations also actively support Invest in Photonics, in particular EPIC, the European Photonics Industry Consortium, Photonics21, an association of industrial enterprises and other stakeholders in the field of photonics in Europe, AFOP, a French optics and photonics association, CNOP, the French national committee in optics and photonics, the UK Photonics Knowledge and Technology Network (KTN), Optec-Net in Germany, the Photonics Cluster Netherlands (PCN), Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques (ICFO) in Spain, and the Réseau Photonique du Québec, Canada. Invest in Photonics also receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). text/html 2010-03-08T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/03/invest-in-photonics-last-days-to-register-64.html Discover the 12 selected companies for the elevator pitch and the final conferences programm. Be carefull : registration soon closed! second edition for the international partnering convention bringing together emerging companies in optics-photonics searching for financial, technological and commlercial partners, and international investors. 11 plenary conferences to inform contributors about key technolohies and markets in some applied fields, as health & life sciences, solar energy, defense & security, telecom, material processing, green photonics. text/html 2010-03-02T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/03/large-delegation-from-the-cluster-at-photonics-west-59.html Despite the transfer of Photonics West to a new exhibition site (Moscone Center, San Francisco), the leading annual international optical technologies event again had a full house with over 1100 companies present at the exhibition, 18,327 visitors, including 4,889 participants in the 80 conferences that included 3,500 presentations. The Route des Lasers cluster was present at the France stand, as it was the two previous years, accompanied this time by Azur Light Systems and ALPhANOV, Cordouan Technologies, Eolite Systems and Aquitaine Valo, the promotional department of PRES (research and higher education complex) "University of Bordeaux." Four other companies from the cluster were present at their own stands or through their American subsidiaries: Amplitude Systèmes, Imagine Optic, Photonis and Quantel. In addition to participation in the expo itself, small businesses from the Aquitaine region and Aquitaine Valo also presented their specialties to laboratory directors and companies during a partnership campaign organized by Ubifrance, in collaboration with the following competitiveness clusters: Elopsys, Optitec, Route des Lasers and System@tic. ALPhA, the governance of the Route des Lasers cluster, and Pyla, the cluster's education/training center, also met with educational leaders from several American technology clusters and universities to present a study on skills, currently underway in the Aquitaine region and to gauge their interest in future cooperative ventures during implementation of the study at the international level. text/html 2010-02-17T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/02/laser-week-in-aquitaine-60.html At Sarlat, Agen, Anglet, Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux, an info-bus and conferences will present laser history and operation to the general public. Several companies and laboratories will also host open houses, often for the first time, to present industrial and scientific developments concerning this technology. The website has just been launched specifically for this event. It offers a complete city-by-city program, with timetables, corresponding maps, the conference agenda, and the experiments presented inside the bus. text/html 2010-02-12T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2010/02/pyla-publishes-its-training-catalog-for2010-61.html PYLA is able to offer these courses through a skills sharing program with different partners, and uses dedicated pedagogical resources within the ALPhANOV optics and laser technology center. text/html 2009-12-22T08:30:00+00:00 http://www.routedeslasers.com/en/news/2009/12/first-solar-chose-aquitaine-to-locate-its-french-solar-panel-plant-62.html Installation of this factory in France is based on the conviction of First Solar and EDF EN that France will become a major market for solar electricity, due to a great extent to the long-term policies implemented in this country. "Aquitaine impresses favorably by its enthusiasm, its excellent infrastructures and its highly qualified labor force," said Rob Gillette, chief executive of First Solar, in explaining the choice of Blanquefort over other sites studied in France. The First Solar production site will also include the only solar panel recycling unit in France. Photo © Lena Andersson