Photonics in Finland
Finland, Europe’s Fastest-Growing Photonics Hub
Finland is a global leader in photonics, playing a pioneering role since the 1960s in developing breakthrough technologies in optics, imaging, lasers, fiber optics, and nanophotonics. Today, with a strong foundation in high-tech research and innovation, Finland has a thriving ecosystem of universities, research institutions, and over 340 photonics companies generating an annual revenue of more than 2.5 billion euros. The photonics industry in Finland is characterized by strong growth, international collaboration, and is highly export-driven, focusing on markets in Europe, the USA, and Asia, with a growing presence in emerging regions. Key photonics competences in Finland include Optical Sensing and Imaging, Micro- and Nanophotonics, Lasers and Fiber Optics, and Extended Reality (VR, AR, MR / XR).
About the European Optical Society (EOS)
The European Optical Society (EOS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing optics and photonics across Europe and worldwide. Serving as the umbrella organization for the National Optical Societies (NOS), EOS connects a vibrant community of more than 4,000 members, including researchers, students, industry professionals, institutions, and companies. Anyone can join the EOS community by becoming a member of any NOS. If your country does not have a national society, you can join EOS directly.
EOS’s mission is to foster collaboration, support scientific and technological progress, and strengthen the impact of optics and photonics in both academia and industry. To achieve this, EOS organizes international conferences, scientific and technical meetings, training courses, exhibitions, and community events.
Through strong partnerships with national and international organizations, EOS works to promote innovation, encourage knowledge exchange, and enhance the global visibility of the European optics and photonics community.
About Photonics Finland
EOS and Photonics Finland share a close connection not only because Photonics Finland is a National Optical Society (NOS) of EOS, but also because both organizations have their headquarters in Joensuu, Finland.
Photonics Finland is a technology cluster that promotes the photonics industry and research in Finland by connecting companies, universities, research institutions, experts, students, and public authorities. Its goal is to support the development of new business and research opportunities while maximizing the potential of photonics in various industries and society, including healthcare, energy efficiency, security, manufacturing, and sustainability.
Founded as the Finnish Optics Society in 1996 and relaunched in 2014 as a technology cluster, Photonics Finland has grown significantly. Today, it represents over 250 individual members and 130 organizations, including startups, SMEs, research institutions, and large enterprises. In a close collaboration with PREIN – Photonics Research and Innovation Flagship the cluster plays a key role in fostering industry-academia cooperation and ensuring that Finland remains a global leader in photonics innovation and development.
Photonics Research in Finland
Finnish universities and research institutes conduct top-notch fundamental photonics research and produce cutting-edge applications. There are nearly one thousand fulltime photonics researchers and several hundred more in related fields. Strong collaboration networks are key to the success of the Finnish photonics research ecosystem.
Institutions involved in Finnish photonics research:
- Tampere University
- Aalto University
- University of Helsinki
- Finnish Meteorological Institute
- University of Eastern Finland
- University of Jyväskylä
- LUT University
- University of Oulu
- The Finnish Defence Research Agency
- University of Turku
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
- Åbo Akademi University