EU announces €5 million initiative for photonics education and training
The programme, called Phortify, aims to benefit the whole photonics ecosystem, giving students and researchers access to Europe’s best courses, labs, and mentors, offering professionals targeted, flexible upskilling, and building a continent-wide talent pipeline for industry
The European Commission has announced it is investing €5 million to launch a new photonics education and training network that aims to boost digital skills and innovation by linking Europe’s classrooms and laboratories.
The new initiative, called the “Photonics education network for next-gen innovation and digital skills excellence for industry and society”, or “Phortify”, seeks to build a continent-wide talent pipeline for industry, giving companies access to graduates and professionals trained on real tools, workflows, and challenges in photonics.
Phortify plans to create a European-wide photonics curriculum across seven master’s programmes and modules co-designed with industry, enabling students and professionals to earn recognised credentials and access top labs, instructors, and digital resources anywhere in Europe.
Coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) with a dozen partners across Europe, Phortify seeks 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 aligns with the EU’s Digital Europe mission to build strategic digital capacities.
“Phortify is more than a project,” said Heidi Ottevaere, professor and project coordinator at VUB, Belgium. “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.”
Beyond the master’s level, Phortify plans to launch lifelong-learning, self-standing modules co-designed with industry for professionals looking to upskill via modular, stackable micro-credentials that target specific competencies without the need for lengthy career breaks. The programme says it will build an open-access digital library to make high-quality photonics training accessible to students, researchers and professionals.
According to Phortify, 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, the initiative adds, while an expanding library of software, datasets, and remote lab interfaces supports independent learning and team projects.
“Europe needs photonics talent, such as engineers who understand the entire chain from design to deployment,” said Tino Eidam, chief technology officer at Active Fiber Systems, Germany. “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 project says it 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 plans to develop a comprehensive support framework that includes scholarships, fee waivers, cost-of-living support, and mobility/travel grants.
Phortify is delivered by a consortium of 12 organisations across Europe, coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, working alongside Universiteit Gent (UGent). From Italy, the partners include Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) and the Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IFN-CNR), while Germany contributes Active Fiber Systems GmbH (AFS), Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU), and the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT). Spain is represented by the Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO-CERCA), the Netherlands by Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e) and SMART Photonics B.V., Poland by the Warsaw University of Technology (WUT), and Finland by the University of Eastern Finland (UEF).
The project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Digital Europe Programme, with all partners working together to harmonise learning outcomes, enable cross-border mobility, and accelerate Europe’s photonics talent pipeline.
