The Optics and Photonics Global Cluster Network

Good ideas spread like wild fires, or maybe at the speed of light if you talk to the people who run the The International Society for Optical Engineering (ISOE). The good idea in this case is the development of optics and photonic industry clusters across the world. What is an optics and photonic cluster? According to ISOE, optics and photonics clusters are concentrations of optics-related firms and universities that maintain strong research and workforce ties, create quality jobs, share common economic needs, and work with government and stakeholders to strengthen the industry.

On a worldwide basis, ISOE estimates that the number of photonics and optics industry clusters is increasing rapidly. It's hot technology. Industry analysts predict that the photonics market will reach $230 billion (U.S. dollars) by 2003 and it may approach $470 billion by 2013. ISOE believes that the photonics sector could become the world's next trillion-dollar sector.

As a fledgling industry, optics and photonic expertise exists in many places across the globe. No one geographic area dominates the field. Yes, Southern Arizona (Tucson area) has a powerful presence in the field, but so do Hamburg and Muenchen, Germany, Rochester, NY, and a host of regions in the U.K. and other countries. Photonics clusters have formed in Canada, Europe, Japan, China, India, and Australia. In the United States, clusters have formed recently in more than a dozen states. There are at least 21 photonics clusters worldwide, with some new ones on the way.

Remember the line "Plastics" in the movie, The Graduate? If your area is a leader in the biomedical and bioscience fields, maybe the new buzz word for your area is "Biophotonics." According to the Biophotonics International Journal, photonics has a strong track record of success in solving various clinical and research problems in diverse applications through products and techniques like spectroscopy, lasers, microscopy, imaging and fiber optics. Cleveland, are you listening?

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