Photonics education network gets €5m EU funding to build skills

Photonics gets brought into the spotlight with a new European education network.

With applications across a wide range of fields including communications, medical imaging, semiconductors, solar panels and quantum computing, photonics – the science and engineering of light particles – is critical for research and development in advanced technologies.

According to the European Commission, “We are on the verge of a new photonics era.

“Photonics offers new and unique solutions where today’s conventional technologies are approaching their limits in terms of speed, capacity and accuracy.”

To build the skills necessary to capitalise on this critical sector, the European Commission has today (16 September) announced funding of €5m over four years for a new photonics education and training network.

Called Phortify, the network aims to boost Europe’s photonics talent pipeline by equipping students and professionals with a coherent set of skills to tackle the industry’s challenges and opportunities.

12 academic and industry partners, led by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), are developing a shared photonics curriculum that will be integrated into seven master’s programmes and modules at universities across Europe.

The aim is to cover the full photonics value chain, the network team explains, from fundamentals to design, fabrication, testing and development, and all employing a hybrid learning experience that combines remote, XR-enabled labs, on-site learning, internships and guest lectures.

‘We are on the verge of a new photonics era’

“Photonics is one of the fastest growing enabling technologies in Europe, but the way it’s taught has been fragmented,” explains Majorie Jammaers, photonics education officer at VUB.

“We already had excellent master’s programmes, but they often worked in isolation. The European Commission recognised that if Europe wants to stay competitive, we need a stronger and more connected talent pipeline. Phortify was born from that vision: to give students and professionals access to a harmonised, futureproof curriculum that truly reflects what industry needs.”

Working together, the network will identify training gaps and needs, and plans to launch microcredentials created with input from industry for professionals looking to upskill in specific areas. It also aims to build an open-access repository to make photonics training widely available to students, researchers and professionals.

Partners include Italy’s Politecnico di Milano, Active Fiber Systems GmbH in Germany and Smart Photonics BV in the Netherlands.

“Phortify is more than a project, it is a strategic investment in Europe’s digital future,” says network coordinator Prof Heidi Ottevaere from VUB.

“By building a harmonised photonics education network, we are equipping the next generation with the innovation mindset and digital skills excellence that industry and society urgently need.”

Phortify plans to launch a pilot programme in January 2026 to develop the scholarship and support framework for this collaborative learning, with the expectation that incoming master’s students will soon be able to apply for a September 2026 start date, with a full roll-out in the following years, according to Jammaers.

Phortify is also open to new collaborations with industry and academic institutions. “The ambition is to create a Europe-wide talent pipeline that benefits from the widest possible participation,” says Jammaers.

“The more diverse voices and perspectives we bring into the ecosystem, the stronger the opportunities will be for students and the greater the impact on Europe’s innovation capacity.”

Phortify is primarily funded though the European Commission’s Digital Europe Programme and is supported by contributions from participating universities, research centres and industry partners.

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.