Every corner of the world, it seems, is involved with photonics-related research. Organizing all of the expertise is a daunting task, and no single academic or commercial entity even tries to be the bearer of all knowledge in the field. Still, some institutions stand out for the breadth and depth of their offerings: disseminating hundreds of research papers, holding multiple patents and spinning off a multitude of new companies with significant new photonics technologies and techniques to share. This list presents some of the best examples of photonics institutions in the world, all of which have exhibited a steady stream of activity over the past decade. Max-Born-Institut für Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie (MBI)/Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short-Time Spectroscopy Berlin www.mbi-berlin.de Areas of expertise include: nonlinear optics; spectroscopy; ultrafast processes National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – Quantum Electronics and Photonics Division Boulder, Colorado www.nist.gov Areas of expertise include: advanced materials; optical properties of materials; semiconductors; sensors University of Rochester Institute of Optics Rochester, New York www.optics.rochester.edu Areas of expertise include: biomedical optics; fibers and optical communication; image science and systems CREOL | The College of Optics & Photonics at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida www.creol.ucf.edu Areas of expertise include: lasers; fiber optics; semiconductor and integrated photonics; nonlinear and quantum optics; imaging; sensing; display Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT/Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology Aachen, Germany www.ilt.fraunhofer.de Areas of expertise include: laser optics; materials processing; medical technology/biophotonics; metrology; extreme-ultraviolet technology Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon (INL)/Lyon Institute of Nanotechnology Lyon, France www.inl.cnrs.fr Areas of expertise include: nanotechnology, including photonics and photovoltaics Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica/Center for Optics Research León, Mexico www.cio.mx Areas of expertise include: metrology; optical design; IR sensors; colorimetry Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO)/Institute of Photonic Sciences Castelldefels, Spain www.icfo.es Areas of expertise include: biophotonics; quantum optics; nonlinear optics; nano-optics University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences Tucson, Arizona www.optics.arizona.edu Areas of expertise include: fiber optics; remote sensing; optoelectronics; quantum optics; optical design; optical engineering and testing Wojskowa Akademia Techniczna Instytut Optoelektroniki/Military University of Technology – Institute of Optoelectronics Warsaw, Poland www.ioe.wat.edu.pl Areas of expertise include: laser physics; spectroscopy; laser-matter interactions