A Vision for UK Leadership in Light-Based Technologies: techUK’s Brand-New Photonics Report

Photonics, the science and technology of light, is quietly powering the applications, devices and systems that underpin modern life. From the fibre optic networks carrying the UK's internet traffic to precision lasers in healthcare and manufacturing, to the sensors guiding autonomous vehicles and defence systems, photonics is a foundational enabling technology that underpins critical application across multiple sectors and industries.

The UK has potential to be a global leader in photonics, with the photonics sector already generating £8.6 billion in economic value, employing 84,000 people across 1,400 companies, and sitting at the heart of a global market forecast to exceed £1 trillion by 2030. The country is also home to some of the leading photonics companies and most cited photonics research institutions in the world and has produced genuine breakthroughs in fields from neuromorphic photonics to quantum key distribution.

Together, these strengths make photonics one of the UK's greatest opportunities to translate world-class research into high-growth companies, skilled jobs, and exports at scale.

Yet the sector faces structural barriers that, left unaddressed, risk squandering this advantage:

The potential for the UK to seize the opportunity photonics technologies have to offer, and be a leader globally, whether that be in adoption of photonics technologies, manufacturing products or as an exporter, hinges on a more strategic and ambitious approach from government, industry and stakeholders to address the barriers identified above. But to do this, there is a short time window. As echoed by the Council for Science and Technology, the Prime Ministers independent advisors on science and technology policy issues, the UK has 3-5 years in which to translate current research capabilities into significant economic and social impact, before running the risk of losing out to international competitors. Without the right policy, coordination, talent, capital, manufacturing capacity, and domestic demand, photonics technologies will be scaled abroad meaning companies end up headquartered overseas. Some would argue we have this story before in semiconductors. The UK helped invent the technology; others industrialised it.

techUK’s recently published photonics report sets out why photonics is such a critical enabling technology for the UK’s ability to innovate and grow, whilst identifying how the UK can address the barriers identified above to raise the profile of photonics among government, investors, and wider stakeholders and ultimately seize the photonics opportunity.

This report is the product of techUK’s six-month focus on Photonics, which identified key areas of UK strength, outlined how the photonics ecosystem looks and functions, and set out where the main challenges and opportunities lie for companies looking to develop, deploy and drive photonics technologies in the UK. It also sets out eight recommendations that address these barriers and outlines how the UK can turn its existing strengths and immense potential into tangible applications, high-growth companies, and exports at scale.

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