Tech Transfer Center to Support Swiss Photonics Industry

Set up with financial support from the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research, as well as from the Association of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Transfer Centers, the Swiss PIC technology transfer center has been established to support the Swiss photonics industry.

The technology transfer center Swiss PIC is moving in at the Park Innovaare, into the immediate vicinity of Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). The curved roof in the foreground belongs to the Swiss Synchrotron Light Source SLS, which is located on the PSI West site. Courtesy of Paul Scherrer Institute.

The center will primarily focus on micro-optical hybrid photonic systems, photonic integrated circuits, and quantum photonics, and it will primarily offer its services to startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Services will cover a broad range, from consulting to design, to setting up a customized, comprehensive photonic packaging infrastructure, allowing customers to start small series production.

Swiss PIC will be the second technology transfer center to be based in Park Innovaare, joining ANAXAM, which focuses on materials analysis. Swiss PIC is one of six nationwide sites of the Swiss Innovation Park.

Funding is being provided on the one hand by the ETH board, which has defined establishing the AM-TTC in Switzerland as one of its strategic planning measures for 2021–2024. In addition, Swiss PIC is receiving funding from the federal government in accordance with Article 15 of the Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation. On top of this, Swiss PIC will obtain in-kind contributions from industry and research partners.

The founding partners of Swiss PIC include the nonprofit company Swiss Photonics, which was in charge of the project application, the Paul Scherrer Institute, and the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, as well as the companies Ligentec and Polariton Technologies, which specialize in integrated optics.