Jyväskylä, Finland – May 26–28, 2026
The Optics and Photonics Days 2026 (OPD2026), organized by Photonics Finland, has grown into the main yearly photonics event in the Nordics. This year, OPD2026 brought together experienced experts, young talents and technology innovators in the photonics field to enjoy three inspiring days at Paviljonki in Jyväskylä. With 438 participants from 17 different countries, the event continues to attract a growing international audience from both industry and academia, creating a unique platform for networking, learning and exchanging ideas.
As Europe’s technology landscape is evolving rapidly through major investments in semiconductors, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, defense technologies and digital sovereignty, the role of photonics has never been more important. OPD2026 provided a timely forum for discussing how photonics underpins many of these strategic developments and why it must be recognized not only as an enabling technology, but also as a stand-alone deep technology field deserving dedicated ecosystems, programs and funding mechanisms.
Relevant Themes for a Changing Technology Landscape
The themes of OPD2026 reflected both national priorities and global technology trends. 211 participants from industry and 159 from academia gathered to learn and share insights on this year’s topics.
Industry Themes
- Photonics in Augmented Reality
- PICs & Quantum Photonics
- Photonics for Dual-Use Applications
- Optical Measurements & AI for Industry
Academic Themes
- Sensing and Imaging
- Novel Photonic Devices
- Materials and Processing
- Fundamental Photonics (Classical and Quantum)
These themes highlighted how photonics is becoming increasingly central to technological competitiveness. Whether enabling next-generation augmented reality displays, quantum communication systems, photonic integrated circuits, advanced manufacturing, or intelligent sensing solutions, photonics technologies are driving innovation across sectors.
The discussions throughout the conference emphasized that Europe is entering a decisive period for strategic technologies. Significant investments are currently being directed toward semiconductor ecosystems, quantum technologies and defense-related innovation. At the same time, photonics is emerging as a critical foundation across all these domains. Photonic integrated circuits are becoming a key component of future computing and communication systems, while optical technologies are essential for sensing, imaging, data transmission, quantum systems and advanced manufacturing.
Henna Virkkunen, the Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, sent a video greeting to OPD2026, emphasizing the role of photonics as the invisible force transforming our world. According to Virkkunen, the photonics ecosystems – collaboration that bridged academia and industry is critical for new innovations for example in integrated photonics, where photonics chips will bring light speed efficiency to mass manufactured systems. Photonics will also have a central role in the new revised EU Chips Act. Watch the full video
This growing importance is increasingly recognized across Europe. Initiatives such as PhotonDelta have highlighted photonic chips as a key technology for Europe’s strategic autonomy, industrial competitiveness and next-generation semiconductor ecosystem. The European photonics sector continues to demonstrate strong growth and innovation potential, supporting applications ranging from communications and computing to healthcare, sustainability and security.
However, one recurring message throughout OPD2026 was that photonics should not only be viewed as an enabling technology for other sectors. Fundamental photonics research, component development, manufacturing capabilities and industrial innovation require dedicated long-term investment. Maintaining Europe’s leadership in photonics will require targeted funding programs, specialized innovation ecosystems and stronger recognition of photonics as a strategic technology field in its own right.
Inspiring Plenary Speakers
This year’s plenary speeches showcased world-class expertise from both academia and industry, illustrating the breadth and impact of photonics research and innovation.
Professor Lukas Novotny from ETH Zürich presented groundbreaking research on levitated optomechanics, demonstrating how precision control of light and matter continues to push the boundaries of modern physics and sensing technologies.
Professor Ifor Samuel from the University of St Andrews highlighted advances in organic semiconductor optoelectronics, showcasing applications spanning optical communications, medical technologies and laser systems.
Michael Peeters, Vice President and Sector Lead of Connected Computing at Imec, provided an industrial perspective on the future of computing architectures and photonics integration. His presentation explored how photonic technologies are becoming increasingly important in addressing the growing performance and energy-efficiency demands of future computing systems.
Representing Finnish industrial excellence, Tapio Kallonen, CEO of Specim, Spectral Imaging Ltd. (Photonics Finland Company of the Year 2024), demonstrated how hyperspectral imaging is transforming inspection and material analysis across numerous industries, providing concrete examples of photonics creating value in real-world applications.
Together, the plenary speakers illustrated how photonics spans the entire innovation chain from fundamental scientific discoveries to large-scale industrial deployment.
European Photonics at a Turning Point
One of the highlights of OPD2026 was the interactive session “European Photonics is at a Turning Point.” The session brought together key ecosystem representatives, including Carlos Lee from EPIC, Lennart Svensson from Photonic Sweden and Juha Purmonen from Photonics Finland.
The discussion addressed the opportunities and challenges facing European photonics at a time when global competition for technology leadership is intensifying. Topics included investment strategies, industrial scaling, talent development, semiconductor and quantum ecosystems, and the need for stronger coordination across Europe.
The session reinforced the importance of collaboration between industry associations, research organizations, companies and policymakers to ensure that Europe remains a global leader in photonics innovation and manufacturing.
Celebrating Excellence in Finnish Photonics
OPD2026 also provided an opportunity to celebrate outstanding achievements within the Finnish photonics community.
The Photonics Finland Company of the Year 2025 award was presented to Nanocomp, recognizing the company’s significant and long-term contributions to photonics innovation, growth and international competitiveness. Read more
The award for Best Doctoral Thesis was granted to Kristian Arjas from Aalto University for his dissertation “Topological Effects in Plasmonic Lattices,” supervised by Professor Päivi Törmä. The work represents an excellent example of the high-quality photonics research being conducted in Finland and highlights the importance of nurturing the next generation of scientific talent.
Best oral presentation went to Santeri Larnimaa from University of Helsinki for his presentation “Three-color vortex comb interferometer“. The Best Poster Awards went to Venishaa Sethumadhavan from Tampere University for “Mechanistic insights into nanoparticle-cancer cell interactions” and Laura Yrjänheikki from the University of Eastern Finland for “Tailorable topological multimode nanolaser with mutually incoherent modes“.
This year a special award was introduced to celebrate an active member of the Photonics Finland community. The attendee of the year for What’s Up Photonics Finland online coffee sessions, Jussi Kinnunen from Chipmetrics, received a Photonics Finland mug and some coffee.
Building the Future Together
OPD2026 was organized by Photonics Finland in collaboration with a strong network of partners and supporters. The official partner of the event was PREIN Flagship for Photonics Research and Innovation, while the European Optical Society, Enterprise Europe Network and Business Finland served as collaborators. The event was additionally supported by EPIC.
These partnerships reflect the collaborative spirit that has become one of the defining characteristics of the Finnish photonics ecosystem and the OPD-event. By bringing together researchers, students, startups, established companies, investors and policymakers, OPD continues to strengthen connections across the innovation landscape.
As photonics becomes increasingly critical for Europe’s ambitions tehnological sovereignity, digital infrastructure, sustainability and security, events such as OPD play an essential role in shaping future collaboration and innovation.
With the biggest industry exhibition in OPD history (48 exhibitors), highly relevant themes and vibrant discussions on the future of European technology, OPD2026 once again demonstrated why Finland has become an important meeting point for the global photonics community. More importantly, the event highlighted a growing consensus across the field: photonics is not merely enabling the future – it is actively shaping it.
Key Highlights from the Feedback:
OPD2026 received exceptionally positive feedback (net promoter score 8.96 / 10) . Participants rated the event highly across almost all categories, with particularly strong scores for:
- Photonics Finland team support
- Social events
- Exhibition
- Overall organization
- Networking opportunities
The event’s strongest perceived value was its ability to bring together academia, industry, students, startups, SMEs, and international organizations in a highly accessible and collaborative environment. In the feedback, the participants highlighted smooth and professional event organization and a strong sense of community. The exhibitors appreciated being located in the center of conference activities and the high visitor traffic. The OPD conference dinner was also a success and participants appreciated the river cruise experience to the venue and the cuisine based on local and fresh ingredients.
Photonics Finland also appreciated the constructive feedback to further improve the OPD event. These included ensuring a spacious poster presentation area, tailored on-boarding for first time attendees and better visibility of B2B matching tools.
SAVE THE DATE: OPD2027 will be held in Espoo, at Dipoli May 25. -27. 2027 – Registration will open in Autumn 2026!
Photos: Photonics Finland and Business Joensuu