Leaders at North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Western Carolina University, Clemson University and Duke University, which together comprise the Carolinas Photonics Consortium, announced Monday, June 25, the signing of the CPC Inter-Institutional Agreement.

The agreement formalizes the relationship among the five universities and provides the foundation for collaborative work aimed at the commercialization of photonics, or light-based technologies.

“Photonics-based technologies are used in a wide array of everyday products, including  DVD players, long distance communication, medical and dental surgeries, dashboard lighting, missile guidance and garage door sensors,” said Jeff Conley, interim director for CPC. “Photonic technologies are being used to replace electronics in almost every facet of our lives.”

Recent advances include high-intensity lighting, biochemical detection, high-powered lasers for manufacturing needs, and early cancer detection, Conley said. One of the primary goals of the CPC is the commercialization of photonics-based research by awarding funds to competitively submitted proposals from the five campuses, he said.

“There is a classic gap between great research and realization of the commercial opportunity,” Conley said. “CPC provides a bridge to move technology to the marketplace by engaging a world-class collaboration of universities and providing some important seed money to get the commercialization process started.”

The consortium is designed to take advantage of unique strengths in the area of photonics at each of the participating universities, said Sarah Smith, director of sponsored programs for the University of North Carolina system.

“The Carolinas Photonics Consortium has been very active in involving researchers across the five campuses and has moved quickly in establishing a strong collaboration,” Smith said. “The region will see significant new business creation as a result of CPC.”

The consortium is the newest partnership for Western, which teamed up previously with UNC-Charlotte and Clemson to form the Carolinas Micro-optics Triangle.

“Western is excited to be a partner in the Carolinas Photonics Consortium, a major new collaboration involving two of our sister UNC institutions, a private North Carolina university, and a public university in South Carolina,” said Ken Burbank, head of WCU’s engineering and technology department. “The CPC’s unique mission is to translate intellectual property developed at these outstanding universities into investment-ready packages – through viable prototypes, marketing and business plans – for new products in the booming area of photonics.”

What’s Next?

A project proposal program in August 2007 will provide seed funding for one photonics-based project from each campus over the ensuing 12 months. The goal of the program is to identify top commercial prospects and provide initial funding to move the concepts down the path of commercialization. Commercialization support and company development will be provided by the Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Program at North Carolina State University. The TEC Program has been supporting technology migration from bench to market domestically and internationally for 13 years with proven tools and techniques.

What is CPC?

Each of the five consortium members has nationally respected programs in photonics.

- North Carolina State University has strengths in photonic devices, semiconductor materials and information technology.

- The Center for Optoelectronics and Optical Communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has a core competence in micro-optics and modeling of optical systems.

- Western Carolina University’s Center for Rapid Product Realization stimulates development of new products by providing technical assistance in prototyping, product testing and design expertise.

- The Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics at Duke University has research programs in biophotonics, nano and micro systems, nanophotonics, and quantum optics and information.

- Clemson University’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET) is focused on the development of novel optical materials.

More than $300 million has been invested from state and federal funds to the five institutions over the last five years, making CPC the largest concentration of photonics-based resources in the country.

For more information about CPC:

Jeff Conley
jcon@charter.net 
(864) 325-4700
http://www.carolinasphotonics.com/

For more information about Western Carolina:

Bill Studenc
Senior Director of News Services
Western Carolina University
bstudenc@wcu.edu 
(828) 227-3083