The European Commission is investing €5 million to launch a new photonics education and training network that will link Europe’s leading classrooms and laboratories with the aim of boosting digital skills and innovation.
The ‘Photonics education network for next-gen innovation and digital skills excellence for industry and society’ or, ‘Phortify’, will build a continent-wide talent pipeline for industry, giving companies access to graduates and professionals trained on real tools, workflows, and challenges in photonics.
Creating a European-wide photonics curriculum across seven Master’s programmes and modules co-designed with industry, Phortify will allow students and professionals to earn recognised credentials and access top labs, instructors, and digital resources anywhere in Europe.
Photonics, or the science and engineering of light, involves generating, controlling, and detecting tiny light particles (or photons) to perform tasks traditionally done by electronics. Photonics is foundational to modern industries, from high-speed communications and healthcare imaging to advanced manufacturing and AI. Globally, photonics is currently worth nearly €0.85 trillion ($1 trillion as of 2024). It is projected to grow to €1.4 trillion ($1.64 trillion) by 2032.
Coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) with a dozen partners across Europe, Phortify is looking to cover the full photonics value chain – from fundamentals to design, fabrication, packaging, testing, and deployment. The initiative is offering a shared photonics curriculum as electives within local Master’s programmes, with a certificate awarded to students who complete 30 ECTS. The programme is directly aligned with the EU’s Digital Europe mission to build strategic digital capacities.
“Phortify is more than a project, it is a strategic investment in Europe’s digital future. By building a harmonised photonics education network, we are equipping the next generation with the innovation mindset and digital skills excellence that industry and society urgently need. This launch marks the beginning of a powerful collaboration across borders, disciplines and sectors,” said Professor Heidi Ottevaere, Project Coordinator, VUB, Belgium.
Beyond the Master’s level, Phortify will launch lifelong-learning, self-standing modules co-designed with industry for professionals seeking to upskill via modular, stackable micro-credentials that target specific competencies without the need for lengthy career breaks. It will build an open-access digital library to make high-quality photonics training accessible to students, researchers and professionals.
All participants will have access to the full network of courses and facilities, and the learning experience will be hybrid by design, through XR-enabled and remote labs, combined with short on-site intensives, internships, and guest lectures. Students can also benefit from short, focused mobility windows and industry-supervised challenges, while an expanding library of software, datasets, and remote lab interfaces supports independent learning and team projects.
Tino Eidam, Chief Technology Officer, Active Fiber Systems, Germany, added: “Europe needs photonics talent, such as engineers who understand the entire chain from design to deployment. Phortify’s curriculum, stackable modules, and hands-on projects help build exactly those skills. For companies, this means access to well-prepared professionals who can contribute to innovation and support the development of advanced photonics solutions in a more targeted and efficient way.”
The initiative also prioritises diversity and inclusion, with financial aid, mentoring and targeted outreach, while investing in a sustainable pan-European partnership connecting academia and industry. To attract top students from underrepresented groups, Phortify will develop a comprehensive support framework that includes scholarships, fee waivers, cost-of-living support, and mobility/travel grants.
Phortify benefits the whole ecosystem: students and researchers gain access to Europe’s best courses, labs, and mentors – and graduate with recognised credentials; professionals get targeted, flexible upskilling mapped to the Digital Europe Programme’s advanced digital competencies; and companies tap a continent-wide talent pipeline trained on real tools and workflows, collaborating through internships, guest lectures, and challenge projects.
