CIPI’s Challenges to Photonics Researchers

1. CIPI’s Challenges to Photonics Researchers R.I.MacDonaldPresident, Canadian Institute for Photonics Innovation Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation The Partnership Conference Series: The Photonics ConferenceSeptember 22, 2003

2. CIPI • CIPI is of 19 current Networks of Centres of Excellence established by the Government of Canada to foster partnerships between university, government and industry • $ 25 M Federal funding, $ 2.5 M average yearly contribution from affiliates • 68 investigators at 21 universities across Canada, • 16 projects, training over 200 graduate students. • Proposing renewed funding 2005-2012

3. Background situation • Information & communications has dominated photonics for the past 10-15 years • The receptor industry in photonic IT is in a turndown • Canada’s innovation strategy has 4 areas: • health & human development, • information & communications, • natural resources, • engineering & manufacturing. • Photonics has relevance to all these areas

4. This talk • Networks in their second phase should have developed • a clearer vision • an improved capability to marshal the University resources of the country into a coherent activity • methods to redirect effort where it is most likely to be exploited. • CIPI has developed a national strategy for photonics research in the Canadian universities • This talk describes CIPI’s strategy and outlines how it is being implemented

5. Theme Theme Theme Theme Theme Forming teams How Networks Develop -1

6. Thrust Thrust Thrust How Networks Develop -2 Setting targets

7. Challenge Challenge Challenge Strategic Responses Unmet Requirements Unneeded Capability How Networks Develop -3 Setting a coherent strategy

8. The CHALLENGE concept • Taking account of • Canadian research strengths; • the needs of Canadian industry; • the interests and capabilities of the researchers; • results that could be exploited by Canadian entities • researchers need for guidance on the changing photonics sector; CIPI has established national goals for university research in photonics • Special Conditions: • Applied research in universities is mostly at the creative stage • desired outcomes cannot be specified in detail • A set of high level CHALLENGES were issued to the researchers.

9. CIPI’s Challenges • A Challenge has a formal structure that states • a broad vision that considers Canada’s advantage or need • a specific set of goals. • an indication of the specific benefits • some example activities that would address the challenge. • A project must address at least one challenge, but it may address many. Some challenges may not attract any interest. • Challenges are only guides to thought – they do not define the structure of the network • The response to the challenges is the basis for CIPI’s second phase research

10. A typical Challenge Challenge 3 : Ultrafast molecular structure analysis Vision: World leadership in laser-based molecular analysis capitalizing on world leadership in femtoscience Goals • Capability to determine structure of non-crystalizable molecules (e.g. proteins) Criterion: Angstrom dimensions, < 100 femtoseconds • Capability to determine molecule-molecule interactions in cells Criterion (10-100 molecules, 100 to 200 nm) • Coordination of national facilities and programs with Life Science activities Benefits • New tools for proteomics–global competitiveness • Faster and cheaper drug development Some needs • Developing new imaging techniques • Developing mathematical/computational models and methods • Developing new optical systems

11. The Challenges • Challenge 1: Practical femtosecond lasers • Vision: A new femtosecond laser-based industry in Canada capitalizing on the progress made in the first phase of CIPI • Challenge 2: Photon therapeutics and diagnostics • Vision:Precision and specificity in minimally invasive medical procedures • Challenge 3: Ultrafast molecular structure analysis • Vision: World leadership in laser-based molecular analysis capitalizing on world leadership in femtoscience • Challenge 4: Routing in high capacity and access networks • Vision: Networks capable of supporting broadband service at any terminal

12. The Challenges • Challenge 5: Fabrication and measurement with high resolution or high throughput • Vision: World leading capabilities in precision optical fabrication and inspection • Challenge 6: Lab-on-a-chip • Vision: Extend molecular analytic capabilities to ultra-small volumes, high sensitivities and high throughput • Challenge 7: Multidimensional imaging • Vision: Multiple imaging techniques to enhance information gathering of structure and function • Challenge 8: photonic microsystems • Vision: Miniaturized optical systems to complement or outperform microelectronic functions

13. The Challenges • Challenge 9: environmental, hazard and industrial sensing • Vision: To capitalize on Canada’s leadership role in photonics to enable Kyoto adherence and ensure a safe environment • Challenge 10: enabling optical technologies • Vision: Provide the tools to enable other challenges to be met • Open Challenge • New challenges must relate to areas where Canada has a particular advantage or need, and must demonstrably have the potential to lead to useful exploitation on reasonable time scales and development budgets. A broad vision and a specific set of goals must be stated.

14. Synopsis 2 Challenges related to telecoms (4,8) 3 Challenges related to bioscience (2,3,6) 3 Challenges related to fabrication and measurement (5,7,9) 2 Challenges related to basic photonic capabilities (1,10) Breadth of applications shows broadening of Photonics as a technology sector.

15. Response • Industrial Affiliates • Concept favourably received • Perception that CIPI will focus the efforts of the research community more effectively by this approach. • Researchers • Initial confusion • Note: The challenge approach is quite different from other bases for research funding in Canada, and the research community has taken some time to come to terms with it. • Growing interest