SPIE and the University of Birmingham Establish $800,000 Photonics-focused Education Fund
30.9.2021 12:03:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and the University of Birmingham have announced the establishment of the SPIE Optics and Photonics Champion Academy fund. The new endowment was announced this morning, during SPIE Photonex + Vacuum Technologies in Glasgow, Scotland.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005066/en/
University of Birmingham students pictured in the UK Quantum Technology Hub, home to the SPIE Optics and Photonics Champions Academy. (Photo: Business Wire)
The $400,000 gift from the SPIE Endowment Matching Program will be matched 100% by the university, and the $800,000 fund will create and support the SPIE Optics and Photonics Champion Academy. The cohort-focused program will engage in areas of public interest in the fields of quantum technology and biomedical imaging and data sciences: one of the first projects will address pandemics. The program will be led by Professor and Principal Investigator of the UK Quantum Technology Hub Sensors and Timing Kai Bongs, and Professor of Computational Life Sciences Iain Styles.
The SPIE Optics and Photonics Champion Academy will support University of Birmingham students in a variety of ways which include expanding cross-disciplinary educational opportunities in optics and photonics; offering students hands-on support and training to become influential science communicators and advocates of optics and photonics; and by utilizing a range of stipends, awards, and activity grants, which will be supplemented with professional development and mentoring opportunities from the university’s academic leaders as well as from external experts.
The program will focus particularly on students in underrepresented groups, early-career researchers, and PhD students in order to establish and build a broad, diverse, and inclusive network of science advocates, especially in the area of optics and photonics.
“We are delighted to be able to work with SPIE to launch this unique Academy at the University of Birmingham,” said Professor Bongs. “This initiative will help to accelerate the growth of optics and photonics expertise, which will have great impact far beyond the university. Our hope is to not only encourage this learning, but to also create awareness of the huge importance of this subject area in tackling real-world problems.”
“By equipping early-career optics and photonics researchers and PhD students with skills in advanced data analysis, we will help to accelerate the translation of these exciting technologies from the laboratory to their adoption in real-world applications,” added Professor Styles. “Our SPIE Champions will be able to work with experts in diverse application areas such as healthcare and climate monitoring to develop end-to-end optics-based solutions with integrated analytics for some of our most pressing challenges.”
“By offering direct, experiential training in quantum technology and biomedical imaging as well as highlighting various career options in the field, the SPIE Optics and Photonics Champion Academy will develop a natural pipeline of future professional scientists and engineers in these fields,” noted SPIE President David Andrews. “And by encouraging students to actively raise awareness of the impact of optics and photonics to their contemporaries, peers, and younger colleagues, the program will be creating visible, engaged role models for future generations.”
The SPIE Endowment Matching Program was established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics, and to date has given more than $3.4 million in matching gifts, resulting in more than $9 million in dedicated funds. The SPIE Endowment Matching Program supports optics and photonics education and the future of the industry by contributing a match of up to $500,000 per award to college and university programs with optics and photonics degrees, or with other disciplines allied to the SPIE mission.
About SPIE
SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves more than 258,000 constituents from 184 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2020, SPIE provided over $5 million in community support including scholarships and awards, outreach and advocacy programs, travel grants, public policy, and educational resources. www.spie.org.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005066/en/
Contact information
Daneet Steffens
Public Relations Manager
daneets@spie.org
+1 360 685 5478
@SPIEtweets
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Murata Develops World’s Smallest 008004-inch Size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC Thermistor for Space-Constrained Temperature Sensing20.10.2026 05:00:00 EEST | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) announces the development of the world’s smallest* 008004-inch size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC thermistor, the NCU01 series. Compared with Murata’s previous smallest 01005-inch size (0.4mm × 0.2mm) product, the new series reduces mounting area by approximately 60% while achieving equivalent temperature-sensing performance, with resistance tolerance of ±1% and B-constant tolerance of ±1%. Its ultra-compact size enables temperature sensing to be positioned in increasingly restricted spaces and closer to heat-generating components, supporting more accurate and responsive thermal monitoring in smartphones, wearable devices, and other densely integrated electronic devices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261019189089/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] World’s smallest 008004-inch size (0.25mm × 0.125mm) NTC thermistor Murata plans to begin sample shipm
Hologic Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Reveal Genomics19.10.2026 22:30:00 EEST | Press release
Hologic, a global leader in women’s health, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Reveal Genomics, a precision oncology company based in Barcelona, Spain, that develops advanced genomic diagnostic tests to help personalized cancer treatment, including its HER2DX test to help optimize therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Breast cancer remains one of the most significant health challenges women face today. Reveal Genomics’ tests are highly complementary to Hologic’s existing oncology diagnostics, including the Breast Cancer Index® (BCI) test, the guideline-recognized genomic assay to help inform decisions regarding extended endocrine therapy in women with HR+ early-stage breast cancer. The combination of Hologic’s existing testing with Reveal Genomics’ portfolio represents a significant expansion of Hologic’s diagnostic oncology solutions, with the combined offering of new and existing testing expected to help inform treatment decisions fo
An Active Role in Freshness: ProAmpac Introduces ProActive Intelligence Shelf Protect19.10.2026 22:27:00 EEST | Press release
ProAmpac, a global leader in flexible packaging and material science, introduces ProActive Intelligence™ Shelf Protect (SP) Series, giving food producers a new way to help preserve product quality and reduce costly spoilage. Designed for select meat, seafood, and dairy applications, the technology is FDA- and USDA-compliant for intended uses in fresh beef, fresh pork, cooked sausage, deli meat, fresh salmon, and fresh cheese. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261019305953/en/ Clearshield®-SP Shrink Bag This direct food-contact biotechnology packaging helps reduce microbial growth associated with food spoilage in intended applications, supporting longer shelf life throughout storage and distribution. Shelf Protect’s patented biotechnology is built directly into food-contact packaging film. “For meat processors, every product lost represents an investment in production, packaging, and distribution that goes unreal
Vedanta Ltd Doubles Zinc Capacity in South Africa with US$ 600 Mn investment19.10.2026 20:19:00 EEST | Press release
Vedanta Limited doubled its annual zinc production capacity to 500,000 tonnes1in South Africa through an investment of nearly US$ 600 Mn at Gamsberg (Phase II) at Vedanta Zinc International (VZI). Gamsberg has one of the world’s most significant zinc deposits and is VZI’s flagship zinc mine. Inaugurated by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Vedanta Limited Director Priya Agarwal-Hebbar, this expansion marks one of the decade’s largest mining investments in South Africa. It advances Vedanta Limited’s position as the world’s largest2 zinc producer, with a vision of achieving 3 million tonnes of annual production across India and South Africa. Of this, 2 million tonnes are targeted from its subsidiary, Hindustan Zinc Limited the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, while Vedanta Zinc International business aims to contribute 1 million tonnes annually. This expansion strengthens the ZAR 21 Bn (nearly US$ 1.5 Bn) investment commitment Vedanta made at the 2018 South Africa Inve
Unlocking Digital Gold’s US$700bn Opportunity19.10.2026 19:00:00 EEST | Press release
The digital gold market, worth US$45–55bn today, could unlock up to US$700bn in latent demand, according to new research from World Gold Council and Boston Consulting Group. The report points to substantial untapped appetite among retail investors, with nearly nine in ten surveyed saying they would consider digital gold under the right conditions. The US$700bn opportunity represents the report’s estimate of total latent demand that could be released if today’s barriers to adoption were removed, rather than a near-term forecast. The report’s five-year base case sees digital gold growing by around 27% a year to US$160–170bn by 2031. That could rise to US$270–280bn over the same time if more barriers fall faster. Momentum is already building as financial markets undergo a broader digital transformation, bringing tokenised investment products increasingly into the mainstream. Tokenised gold, one segment of the digital gold market alongside vaulted digital gold, has grown fivefold in value
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom