ERFURT_ This technology helps make the manufacturing of computer chips more efficient, revolutionize 3D printing, or even combat kidney stones in medicine: ultrashort pulse laser technology is the future, and in this field, the Free State impressively confirms its reputation as an Optical Valley and as a land of precision engineering. A Thuringian consortium of companies and research institutes, which has focused on this special laser technology under the name “UKPiño“, will in future receive funding through the federal program RUBIN and will start the project phase on June 1. With the help of ultrashort pulse (UKP) laser technology, the Thuringian network will develop innovative solutions in the coming years, in such diverse areas as semiconductor manufacturing, 3D printing, medical technology, battery technology, and automotive. The goal is nothing less than global technological leadership in this segment. Around 20 million euros will be invested in building the corresponding technology platform, of which around 13 million euros will be provided as a funding grant through RUBIN.
The Thuringian UKPiño alliance was selected as one of 9 winning consortia out of 52 submitted outlines within the framework of the RUBIN program. The consortium leader is Active Fiber Systems GmbH from Jena. The consortium consists of 14 companies, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Ernst-Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, as well as 7 associated partners, including the Thuringian ClusterManagement of LEG, which supported the alliance in its initiation and application. In its diversity, the alliance covers the entire value chain of UKP laser technology – from the light source through the optical systems and beam guidance to system integration and solution applications.
The successful path of UKPiño exemplifies how sensibly applied basic research can lead to economically highly relevant strategies and solutions. The Free State has always had excellent research potential in this technology field. For example, Prof. Stefan Nolte, who is involved in the UKPiño consortium, won the German Future Prize for the industrial application of UKP laser technology, which triggered further research activities. The UKPiño consortium emerged from the research group “UKPflex“ funded by the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, which pooled funds from the state, federal government, and EU and used them strategically well – an example of the positive effects of targeted funding on sustainable technological development in the Free State.
Background RUBIN
RUBIN (Regional Entrepreneurial Alliances for Innovation) is a funding line of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which aims to improve collaboration between companies as well as their cooperation with universities and research institutes. The goal is for regional entrepreneurial alliances to develop innovations with high application potential. In regions such as Thuringia, regional value chains, innovative products and services, as well as access to new markets, are to be made possible. In addition to UKPiño, two other Thuringian consortia have successfully prevailed in the current RUBIN round: on the one hand, the ATHANA consortium (Antifungal therapeutic approaches through nanoparticle-based targeted delivery of active substances, with the consortium leader Smart DyeLivery GmbH from Jena), and on the other hand, the PhoTech consortium (Photonic processes as a technology basis for the purification of indoor air, urban air, and industrial exhaust air) with the consortium leader Lynatox GmbH from Ohrdruf. With three winning consortia, Thuringia is the most successful federal state in this RUBIN round.
Further information at: www.ukpino.de
