Photonics in Finland and its status as a European level has once again strengthened as professor Jyrki Saarinen from University of Eastern Finland and executive director Juha Purmonen from Photonics Finland were elected into the Board of Stakeholders of Photonics21. The European Technology Platform Photonics21 coordinates photonics research and innovation priorities and provides input to the European research framework programme Horizon Europe with the aim to establish Europe as a leader in the development and deployment of photonics technologies within the various applications fields such as ICT, lighting, industrial manufacturing, life science, safety as well as in education and training.
The Board of Stakeholders consist of a hundred members and is the main decision-making body of the Photonics21 platform and has a significant input for example in decision making regarding EU funding for the industry. This four-year term is the second for both Saarinen and Purmonen. Tauno Vähä-Heikkilä, the vice president for microelectronics at VTT, who has elected to the Board of Stakeholders in the previous elections, continues as the third Finnish member.