Speech by MOS Teo Ser Luck at the Opening Ceremony of NTU’s The Photonics Institute at Nanyang Executive Centre Auditorium

Professor Bertil Andersson, President of Nanyang Technological University,

Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

Good morning. I am pleased to join you today at the launch of the Photonics Institute. The Institute is a collaboration between NTU and the University of Southampton, which brings together the capabilities of UoS’ Optoelectronics Research Centre and NTU’s five photonics research centres

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It is opportune that the Institute is being launched just before the start of 2015, which has been named the “International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies” by the United Nations. The Institute will be one of the world’s largest photonics research organisations, with 105 researchers working on photonics research ranging from applications in manufacturing to data security and defence.

The Photonics Institute will be a strong addition to Singapore’s thriving photonics ecosystem

As the birthplace of fibre optic networks that form the backbone of the Internet, UoS possesses world-renowned expertise in photonics research, which will complement NTU’s existing strong industry-aligned research capabilities. For example, NTU’s Centre for Optical and Laser Engineering, set up in 2013, has 13 private sector partners today. As photonics is an enabling technology across many industries, COLE’s partners are forerunners from a range of sectors, such as Edmund Optics and Coherent in the optics and lasers sector, Life Technologies from the medical technologies sector, KLA Tencor and DISCO HI-TEC from the semiconductor equipment sector. To date, COLE has secured nearly $35 million funding from EDB, NTU and the industry.

The collaboration with UoS through the Photonics Institute is expected to expand NTU’s capabilities into areas such as optical fibre, laser and nanophotonics, with potential applications in areas such as telecommunications, advanced manufacturing, defence and security and green technologies.

Overall, the collaboration will strengthen existing capabilities in Singapore’s thriving photonics ecosystem, such as those in A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME)’s 20-man Silicon Photonics programme. The programme is a global leader in silicon photonics research with its platform technologies capable of delivering at least 100 Giga bytes per second communication speed and compatibility with commercial silicon IC manufacturing facilities. Since its establishment in 2007, IME’s Silicon Photonics programme has helped 40 companies to prototype their research and has licensed technologies to 9 MNCs and local SMEs. In addition, Global Foundries, a US-based semiconductor foundry, is tapping on IME’s technology to establish a silicon photonics manufacturing line in Singapore.

In the photonics private sector, many wired communications companies based in Singapore have significant optoelectronics R&D capabilities. These include Avago Technologies, a $3.3 billion revenue company that designs and develops semiconductor components, and Finisar Corporation, an $1.3 billion revenue company manufacturing mainly optical communications components. Both firms have strong collaborations with public research institutes such as IME and the universities, and contribute to the vibrancy of the photonics ecosystem.

Other than adding to our photonics research capabilities, the Photonics Institute will also play a key role in training research scientists and engineers for both the public and private sectors. Over the next 5 years, the Institute aims to train 120 post-graduates in Photonics specialisations ranging from high power lasers to metamaterials which will help facilitate research in photonics and bring about more industrial applications of artificially-engineered materials. 

Singapore’s strong base of public and private photonics research capabilities positions locally-based companies to tap emerging global and regional opportunities

Our strong photonics research and talent base will be invaluable in positioning locally-based photonics companies to tap into strong global and regional growth opportunities. The global photonics market is valued at $500 billion today and is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2020, outpacing anticipated global GDP growth two-fold. More significantly, ASEAN’s rising affluence will increase regional demand for consumer devices, cars, and better healthcare technologies. These trends will in-turn drive the production of more products manufactured by photonics and laser-aided processes.

Let me cite an example of a win-win partnership between our public sector and photonics companies. Under A*STAR’s Technology for Enterprise Capability Upgrading (T-Up) scheme which involves subsidising the secondment of research scientists and engineers (RSEs) to local enterprises to local enterprises, IME has seconded RSEs to 2 SMEs. This has helped the companies to develop capabilities in areas such as silicon photonics platform devices, as well as in characterising and testing these devices.

Conclusion

With the strong support and partnership of organisations such as A*STAR, EDB, NRF, MOE, and DSO National Labs, the Photonics Institute is expected to grow to a strength of 120 researchers and become a new cradle of photonics knowledge and intellectual property in Singapore. I encourage Singapore’s public and private sectors to continue to collaborate through win-win partnerships to elevate the standing of our photonics sector to the next level, and through this impact the manufacturing sector as a whole.

I wish the Institute, its faculty and staff all the best in your endeavours. Thank you.

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The five NTU research centres making up The Photonics Institute are: (i) Centre for Optical Fibre Technology (in partnership with UoS, supported by A*STAR and DSO), (ii) Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies (supported by MOE and A*STAR), (iii) LUMINOUS! Centre of Excellence for Semiconductor Lighting and Displays (supported by NRF and A*STAR), (iv) Centre for Optical & Laser Engineering (supported by EDB) and (v) OPTIMUS! Photonic Centre of Excellence (supported by A*STAR,  NRF, EDB, MOE and DSTA)