News & Events

We are very excited to announce that APS (Atlantic Photonic Solutions) were the winning team at the recent finals of the explorer programme 2021. Laura Britton presented on behalf of APS, outlining how they use their photonic technology’s ‘sweet spot wavelength’ to delouse farmed salmon, which is the bane of every salmon farmers activities.   APS treatment of lice is safe to the fish and the louse by-product can be used, giving zero waste.  The team have secured EU funding to bring their patented process to commercialization.  We are very excited to see this innovative team grow and succeed even further.   For more information on APS please see https://zaps.ie/

We also celebrate the competing teams – AIC; Creative Connections; Enegma; InPhoSS and INSPIRES who each excelled in terms of their commitment and engagement to the explorer programme and in advancing their journey’s towards commercializing their technologies.

We would like to thank our explorer partners – IPCEI; Tyndall National Institute; Osram Opto Semiconductors and IQE, and all those who contributed to making the programme a great success.   In particular, we would also like to thank Programme Director, Helen Fullen, Alinea, for her great work in leading and delivering explorer and supporting the teams throughout.

For further information please see: https://www.tyndall.ie/explorer

Please send expressions of interest and any questions to explorer@tyndall.ie

Researchers in Biophotonics team at IPIC are developing a more effective and less invasive way to diagnose and treat colorectal cancer, which is the third most common type of cancer in the world and the second most deadly, in partnership with clinicians at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) and Cork University Hospital (CUH).

They have created a tool for non-invasive surgical guidance and early disease detection using biophotonics technology, a light-based instrument that senses and differentiates tissues more accurately and faster.

The team’s research has just been published in the Nature journal, Scientific Reports, describing how the use of biophotonics can help to radically improve health outcomes for patients as it is a less invasive method and provides more comprehensible information to clinicians and surgeons in real-time, particularly in the area of colon cancer.

Pre-clinical and clinical studies with patients who have gastrointestinal diseases and oral cancer are expected to commence in the MUH and CUH in late 2021.

The Biophotonics team at Tyndall, at UCC, is researching non-invasive techniques that are more accurate and faster than conventional detection methods. Following the initial positive results that validate the idea, they are now developing a probe for colon cancer detection during colonoscopy, which can investigate additional types of biomolecules located at different tissue depths by using extended wavelength range.

This technology will help surgeons to take biopsies at the right places, as currently they have no guidance as to where to request a biopsy, which will obviate the need for multiple biopsies or polypectomies.  It could also help identify more subtle abnormalities such as premalignancies invisible through colonoscopes and medical devices.

Further information on Tyndall’s biophotonics teams’ research into colorectal diagnoses and treatment can be seen in Scientific Reports ‘Evaluation of wavelength ranges and tissue depth probed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy for colorectal cancer detection.’

Individuals or teams with scalable ideas are invited to apply to a new explorer pre-accelerator programme with €20,000 prize fund and access to Europe’s semiconductor leaders.

“do you have a great idea for a new product or service?

we want to hear from you!

explorer, a deep-tech pre-accelerator, is currently accepting applications for its 2021 programme aimed at empowering European entrepreneurs with deep-tech ideas.”

Irish Photonics Integrated Centre (IPIC) is delighted to announce the launch of a new pre-accelerator programme for deep-tech start-ups, in partnership with the IPCEI European cluster collaboration, and international high-tech photonics companies OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (OSRAM) and IQE.

The ultimate goal of explorer is to stimulate the formation of high value deep-tech ventures, which will in turn support the growth of the Irish economy and jobs.  Global investment in deep-tech has soared from $9.8bn in 2015 to $17.8bn in 2018, with €7.7 billion in Europe alone in 2019. By investing in this sector Ireland will remain at the forefront of new technologies and fast-growing companies.  The programme aims to help emerging entrepreneurial ideas and early-stage start-ups in the area of photonics and microelectronics – covering technology areas such as energy efficient chips, power semi-conductors, smart sensors, advanced optical equipment, and compound materials and applications.

The four-month programme, running from February to May 2021, will help entrepreneurial explorers to stress test their idea and learn from the best European semiconductor companies, such as OSRAM and IQE. Participants will be introduced to start-up tools and methodologies; given access to resources; and they will be briefed on leading edge developments in opto-electronics and microelectronics, as investigated by IPCEI.  explorer will also offer an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and to build industrial collaborations across Europe. In addition, the programme will prepare and introduce participants to next stage supports, including grant funding and investment.

The call for entries is now open to any resident of the Republic of Ireland or Europe, in research or in industry, who have a deep-tech idea at start-up stage.  Entrants should preferably have a globally scalable concept, and ideally be a team (more than one person).  They must also not have previously received investment funding for the idea to be explored.  Start-ups accepted onto explorer will not be charged fees and no equity will be taken.

Overall, six ideas will be selected to participate, culminating in a programme showcase where one winner will receive a cash prize of €20,000.

Through the programme participants will also engage with deep-tech companies located in Ireland to explore future technology and manufacturing challenges, and opportunities on how the Irish community can work together to build a sustainable and competitive trans-European industry.

The explorer lead, Head of Photonics Operations and IPIC Centre Manager Dr. Patrick Morrissey said “We are looking to identify and support emerging start-up ideas in the area of deep-tech to stimulate new high value ventures that will have economic value, impact and international reach.  There are huge opportunities for Ireland to lead the way in deep-tech solutions. We are already competing in technology development and initiatives such as this will sharpen Ireland’s competitive edge and create new SMEs and jobs across a variety of sectors. €7.7 billion was invested in deep-techs in Europe in 2019 alone, so the value to our economy is considerable.

“We are seeking to attract people with an explorer-type personality, very much like John Tyndall. Tyndall had a fearless personality and demonstrated this through his scientific experiments, explanations and through his mountaineering exploits. We want to continue his legacy and recruit applicants that are as daring as he was.  At this stage all we need are great ideas at an early stage”

“Those selected will come away from the explorer programme with idea validation, an expanded network across Europe’s leading semiconductor companies, and investment opportunities.”

The Programme will be delivered remotely by Tyndall, IPIC, Osram, and IQE, in partnership with IPCEI companies, who will provide technology mentors that will offer advice on the technology, its development and related areas such a supply chain development. This will ensure that each team will have a comprehensive training and mentorship support structure covering both technology and commercial activities.

Participants will also have access to relevant government agencies such as Enterprise Ireland, IDA and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), during the Pre-Accelerator programme and the outreach event.

Following the Pre-Accelerator Programme, an invitation only Outreach Event will take place in Cork, or virtually, which will bring together over 150 senior representatives from global deep-tech companies, from multinationals to SMEs, from ICT to Medical device companies, along with representatives from the IPCEI partner companies, relevant Irish government agencies and the project partners.

The event, which will take place in June 2021, will focus on Europe’s future deep-tech technology and advanced manufacturing needs to support existing and new emerging markets, and it will explore ideas on how the represented organisations can work together to address the needs and deliver economic growth.

Apply online by midnight on 18^th January at www.tyndall.ie/Explorer or email queries to explorer@tyndall.ie.

For more information please visit explorer.

We are proud to announce that BioPixS has been selected amongst 12 Enterprise Ireland’s Big Ideas 2020, a showcase which enables highest quality early-stage research-led start-ups across Ireland to pitch their ideas to investors and researchers.

Each year, the Enterprise Ireland event highlights not only the high standard of Irish research but also the accomplishments of Ireland’s national technology transfer system.

The Big Ideas 2020 showcase will be taking place online on 25 November and puts Irish innovation in the spotlight with 12 pitches made to an audience made up of the country’s research and investment communities. This time, the investor-ready start-ups are all strongly ingrained in research at higher-education institutes across the country.

For more information visit siliconrepublic.com.

Art meets Science in Invisible Light, an expansive new exhibition from The School of Looking funded by Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Discover Programme, which reignites the heritage of Crawford Art Gallery as an institution for both artistic and scientific endeavour.

Through an ambitious, collaborative endeavour with Tyndall National Institute and the Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC), Invisible Light imaginatively explores the Electromagnetic Spectrum in its relationship to history, society, artistic creation and art conservation.

Just as we can describe the spectrum of visible light in seven colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet – we can also divide the Electromagnetic Spectrum into seven zones. The middle zone – the smallest – is the only one we call visible, but in truth they are all visible to us now. The invention and construction of machine eyes to see all this invisible light has been a collective project since the late nineteenth century, and a vision revolution that has made the whole universe visible to us.

Men and women of science have slowly rendered visible the entire range of energy frequencies that permeates our universe – Gamma Rays, X-Rays, Infrared Radiation, Visible Light, Ultraviolet Radiation, Microwaves, Radio Waves – and imagined extraordinary applications for them, including inventions that have progressed society in countess ways, saving lives, allowing us to see into the molecular structure of our cells, gaze far into the universe, and peer behind micron-thin layers of paint to reveal the secrets of the Grand Masters of art.

Marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of visionary Irish scientist John Tyndall (1820-1893), artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly from The School of Looking have worked closely with scientists from Tyndall National Institute and Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC), and curators at Crawford Art Gallery to imagine an exhibition that truly unites art and science.

Invisible Light shares this adventure with the public, through seven newly commissioned artworks, each one exploring a region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum and accompanied by seven Ray Days, days of safe public engagement dedicated to each separate type of radiation.

Invisible Light receives its world premiere at Crawford Art Gallery and, in 2021, will represent Ireland at the Universal Exhibition in Dubai.

For more information on booking a Ray Day go to: https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/crawford-art-gallery-15384679145

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In Lighting up Lockdown you will meet some of our students who took part in Glasgow Science Festival. They will guide you through photonics experiments that can be done at home.  Photonics is the technology of generating and harnessing light (photons).   Safety first, be very careful if using a laser pointer, follow instructions!   To meet our students and discover recipe cards follow this link

The Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage (PIADS) is a partnership between the Irish Photonic Integration Centre, Queen’s University Belfast and University of Glasgow.  These partners are collaborating on solutions to the ever increasing quantities of data generated by today’s society.

The Centre’s focus is on developing highly-manufacturable photonic integration technologies related to the magnetic storage of digital information.  However, the development of these technologies will be relevant to a wide spectrum of end-users – from telecommunications to biophotonics, in which optical technologies are applied to living organisms and health care.

For more information on CDT-PIADS visit our website or follow IPIC on Twitter.

Associated twitter links:

https://twitter.com/GlasgowSciFest/status/1310527222122414085

https://twitter.com/GlasgowSciFest/status/1307303587589038081

https://twitter.com/IPICIreland/status/1304075874053091328

The EPSRC and SFI Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Photonic Integration and Advanced Data Storage (PIADS) in partnership with IPIC, Queen’s University Belfast & Glasgow University, offers students a cutting-edge research environment to undertake a diverse and exciting range of topical doctoral research projects in the cross-disciplinary areas of physics, materials and electrical and optical engineering with commercial applications as diverse as data storage and biosciences.

The 2020 cohort have been welcomed virtually by the CDT-PIADS team, with a week-long session of inductions including introductions to the IPIC Principal Investigators,  two new Tyndall-based advanced training courses, some team building and two interactive sessions hosted by David McGovern, Sr. Business Development Manager for IPIC, in a workshop session on Research Commercialization and Caitríona Tyndall, Public Engagement Manager for IPIC on Education and Public Engagement.

Links:

PIADS page on IPIC website

PIADS website

PIADS twitter

IPIC are once again looking forward to participating in Culture Night on Friday 18^th September.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are sad not to be welcoming visitors to Tyndall National Institute on the night but we look forward to participating in a fun and dynamic online event.  In partnership with a number of groups across Tyndall, we will bring the guests on a busy journey on Zoom where they can learn about the various research happening across Tyndall and also get hands-on with some simple at-home experiments.  Siddra Maryam from the Biophotonics team will take our guests through the Secret Spectrum workshop and help them build their own spectrometers.  Once built, guests can explore what colour is light using different light sources at home.

Culture Night at Tyndall will offer something for both young and old.  We look forward to seeing you on the night from the comfort of your own home.

Booking essential at the following link.  Make sure you register by 10am on Friday 11^th September to receive your event materials by post.

The Irish Photonic Integration Centre (IPIC) has been successfully selected by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 initiative to host a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Fellowship.

The successful IPIC’s awardee, Dr. Pietro Pampili from the III-Nitride Materials Group, will carry out work as part of a RESENSE initiative, a highly innovative project that seeks to develop new materials for use in UV sensors and whose proposed outcomes will have applications in fields such as industrial processing, space research, defence and medicine.

Dr. Pampili is going to carry out the outgoing phase of the project at Nagoya University, Japan, under the joint supervision of Prof. Hiroshi Amano (2014 Nobel Physics Laureate) and Prof. Markus Pristovsek before he returns to Tyndall for the final 12 months under the supervision of Prof. Peter Parbrook. At the start of this project, Dr Pampili will also carry out an initial 3-month secondment period with ON Semiconductor (SensL which was originally a Tyndall spinout in 2004 but was acquired in 2018 by ON Semiconductor), in order to gain a better understanding of the industrial requirements for possible future commercialization of these devices.

RESENSE aims to use N-polar AlGaN materials to tackle problems associated with (a) satisfactory p-type doping and (b) separation of the photo-generated carriers. This material orientation has the potential to favour incorporation of p-type impurities and induce higher electric fields for carrier separation. Different Metal Organic Vapour Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE) growth conditions will be studied to control the growth of N-polar AlN templates and magnesium doped AlGaN epilayers. Finally, a prototype of solar-blind UV photodetector based on AlGaN/AlGaN heterostructure will be grown, fabricated and fully characterized.

For more information please visit Tyndall website

Congratulations to an IPIC researcher, Dr. Agnieszka Gocalinska, who has been nominated by JPhys Photonics for a prestigious Emerging Leaders 2020 award.

In keeping with the Journal of Physics Series’ 50th anniversary celebratory initiative in 2017, JPhys Photonics has brought together the best early-career researchers in materials science and published their exceptional work in an annual collection dedicated to ‘Emerging leaders’.

An emerging leader is defined as a top researcher in their field who completed their PhD in 2009 or later (10 years excluding career breaks). A limited number of early career researchers have been nominated by the journal’s Editorial Boards as the most talented and exciting researchers in their generation.

Dr. Gocalinska, who is an expert of III-V growth and a recognised leader in MOVPE metamorphic growth, is the only female nominee for the award.

For more information please visit the IOPscience website.

Second Advertising campaign for SPARKLE is now open. Candidates are welcome to apply for one of the prestigious Marie-Curie H2020 COFUND PostDoctoral Researcher positions in the area of Photonics Research and Innovation. Deadline for submissions is the 30th of September 2020.

For more information please visit SPARKLE and academicposts.com

As part of the Coronavirus Diaries, Optics & Photonics News spoke to Andrea Pacheco to get her perspective on how the COVID-19 crisis has affected her lives and work, and what the pandemic means for Photonics in general.

For further information please see:

https://www.osa-opn.org/home/newsroom/2020/april/coronavirus_diaries_andrea_pacheco/