The Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (CAP) in Glasgow has been awarded £8 million in funding from the UK Government over the next four years, acknowledging its significant contributions to UK innovation across vital fields including quantum technologies, semiconductors, defence, energy, and communications.
This substantial investment complements the £1.3 million provided annually by the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise.
Operating in strategic partnership with the University of Strathclyde, Fraunhofer CAP specialises in complex laser systems and applied photonics, serving a diverse clientele of industrial and governmental partners. The centre, established in Glasgow in 2012, has a proven track record, having delivered over 300 projects for more than 200 industrial partners. In the past year alone, the facility generated in excess of £6 million from applied research and development (R&D) projects for industry.
Simon Andrews, Executive Director of Fraunhofer UK Research, commented on the new funding package, stating: “We are extremely pleased to accept this important support from the UK government. Over the last nine years support from Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise alone has been invaluable. Fraunhofer CAP leverages that support for student training strategic R&D and subsequently wins contracts and grants.”
Andrews further noted the centre’s broad impact, adding: “In the last year alone our team has delivered more than £6m of applied R&D projects for industry. While we have a strong local customer base – 45 per cent of our business comes from the central belt of Scotland – funding from the UK government will enable us to meet the growing demand for our services in a world increasingly turning to photonics and quantum technologies to solve problems across a variety of critical fields.”
The UK government’s funding commitment aligns with its broader strategies for innovation, quantum, and semiconductors. This follows a previous £2 million capital equipment award from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Lord Vallance, UK Science Minister, underscored the importance of the centre, remarking: “To unlock the potential of quantum – which will bring transformative benefits to fields like encryption navigation and medicine – we are relying on cutting-edge photonics. The funding we are announcing for Fraunhofer’s world-class centre in Glasgow will cement the UK’s place as one of the global leaders in the development of this crucial technology.”
Support from the Scottish Government has been a cornerstone since Fraunhofer CAP’s inception in 2012. This year, an additional £500,000 from the Scottish Government and £300,000 from Scottish Enterprise facilitated the centre’s expansion into new laboratory and office space at the neighbouring Inovo Building, effectively doubling its footprint. This expansion was announced in August and supports the growing demand from both UK and international clients.
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Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s Minister for Business, highlighted the centre’s effective operational model:
“The Scottish Government with Scottish Enterprise has provided core funding to Fraunhofer CAP since its inception in 2012. This has been used to build an impressive project portfolio benefiting companies both in Scotland and across the UK.” He further explained the leverage achieved: “This is core support which enables further investment in doctoral training and proving new processes and technologies to be prepared for industrial needs. However the Glasgow centre has a track record of leveraging this core support more than ten times over in R&D activity across its customer base.”
Professor Stephen McArthur, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, affirmed the investment’s significance, stating it “reflects the centre’s impact on industry partnerships and its contribution to UK competitiveness.” Fraunhofer CAP maintains close collaboration with Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics, including joint appointments and studentships, reinforcing Scotland’s critical technologies cluster.
