Photonics Austria
Roadmap

Technology Roadmap

of Photonics in Austria

2021 - 2027

The Photonics Austria Roadmap was created as a joint strategic research agenda (SRA) by the photonics stakeholders in Austria. Over a period of about one year, 35 authors from 20 organizations worked intensively on the roadmap. However, inputs for the final version were gathered additionally from many other experts and scientists from the photonics landscape.

35

Authors

20

Organisations

12

months of intense work

8

promising technology chapters

Insight into the Roadmap

Aim

The roadmap identifies Austrian priorities in photonic research and development over the next seven years. On the one hand, it shall illustrate the possibilities and potentials of photonics to the public, on the other hand, it should serve as a basis for cooperation with other technological sectors as well as international partners in photonics. Another important goal is the elaboration and illustration of the “Green Photonics Aspects”, which have been addressed separately for each technological area in the roadmap.

Highlights

Developments in the field of mobility and safety include matrix and laser headlights, state-of-the-art light detection and ranging or time-of-flight camera technologies for future autonomous driving and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as fibre optic distributed acoustic sensing systems for real-time detection, tracking of trains and monitoring of traffic infrastructure. 

In the field of life science, health and environment, contributions for optical imaging techniques in particular optical coherence tomography for non-contact, depth-resolved visualization of tissues are especially noteworthy. Achievements in sensors and methods for environmental monitoring, such as air and water pollution control or agricultural production, are also of major significance.

Intelligent, environmentally friendly lighting made in Austria is in use worldwide, whether with a focus on Human Centric Lighting aspects or for Horticulture applications. Research into intelligent systems and efficient optical solutions has been on the agenda of companies and research institutes for years.

The same applies to Austrian sensor, production and quality assurance technology. Austrian companies and institutes are currently working on photonics methods for non-destructive quality assurance developments. Lasers are the preferred energy sources not only for welding, but also for most types of 3D printing or additive manufacturing.

Modern information and communication systems would not be possible without laser technologies. Photons in fibre optic cables travel long distances with up to 20 times less loss, compared to electrons. Furthermore, photonic technologies are invaluable for data storage and for future novel computing units.

Austrian institutes and companies are also at the forefront of optical quantum technology worldwide, especially with the development of optical quantum computers. This can certainly be attributed to the high level of Austrian education and basic research in photonics compared to other countries.

Partner-Institutions

  • Aidexa
  • AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
  • ams-Osram
  • Bartenbach
  • Ceramic Data Solutions
  • Fachhochschule Vorarlberg
  • Fachhochschule Technikum Wien
  • Fotec
  • Joanneum Reserach
  • Plasmo
  •  Recendt
  • Technische Universität Graz 
  • Technische Universität Wien
  • Tofmotion
  • Tridonic
  • Universität Graz
  • Universität Innsbruck
  • Universität Wien
  • V-Research
  • Zumtobel