BU Photonics Center announce2s international partnership at industry symposium
University's success in commercialization draws attention world wide
An international partnership to speed commercialization from photonics research was announced November 10 during the Photonics Center’s ninth annual executive symposium on emerging business opportunities in photonics.
The newly-formed International Photonics Commercialization Association (IPCA) aims to cut the costs and the time involved in bringing new light-enhanced technologies to commercial markets. Nearly 200 photonics company chief executives and research officers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists attended the symposium, titled The Future of Light.
The alliance links the Photonics Center with the National Research Council Canada (NRC) and upstate New York’s Infotonics Technology Center, Inc. Jim Frappier, business development officer of the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre in Ottawa, says the nonprofit IPCA will enable partners and regional stakeholders to exchange information about research, business development opportunities, and funding through a network of contacts, an e-newsletter, and a Web site. The NRC provided $100,000 Canadian dollars as seed money for a central administrative staff based in Canandaigua, N.Y.
Participating in the IPCA, which will nurture the photonics industry throughout the Northeast, is a natural step for the Photonics Center, says Clifford Robinson, the center’s assistant director for corporate relations. The center has provided resources and support to incubate 18 companies since its founding eight years ago, he said, and 16 of those firms remain in business and have raised over $225 million in outside venture capital and financing.