Post by Chips Joint Undertaking

Europe has built real momentum in integrated photonics. The next challenge is closing the gap between what research delivers and what industry actually needs. 👩🏻‍🔬🏭 🗫 That was the discussion behind the roundtable "𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝟐" at the EPoSS Annual Forum 2026 in Braga. Chips JU Executive Director, Jari Kinaret, made the case that if we want manufacturing in Europe, we need to build demand. The intervention highlighted the Chips JU's tripartite structure, bringing together industry, participating states and the EU, as a model that has worked very well and should be strengthened, with Europe continuing to take the initiative. 💭The conversation also turned to the shift in Europe's approach. A few years ago the continent relied heavily on global supply chains, but the emphasis now is on building capacity at home, with the European Chips Act as a strong first step and Chips Act 2.0 an opportunity to improve on it. 🤝The discussion explored the role of pilot lines and competence centres in closing the gap between research and industry. Pilot lines give companies somewhere to validate and test their technologies, without keeping industry on the outside. Competence centres act as a first entry point, translating a company's needs and guiding it to the right facility, and because they work as a network, a company can reach infrastructure in another country through its local centre. 🎯The panel agreed that what has been achieved so far is significant, but the next step is better alignment between what research provides and what industry needs: aligning roadmaps, building fast and easy access to infrastructure across Europe, and making sure companies can reach the latest technologies at a good price. Thank you to the panel for the great contributions: Jari Kinaret (Chips JU), Marina Santana (ICFO), Abdul Rahim (PhotonDelta) and Francisco Manuel Ruivo Rodrigues (PICadvanced), and to chairs Marina Dias (INL) and Dr. Elisabeth Steimetz (EPoSS). EPoSS Association INL - International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory