Florida Photonics Center of Excellence

Florida Photonics Center of Excellence

The Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE) was established with a $10 million grant from the State of Florida to create a new center of excellence within The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida. The program began in 2003 with three primary goals: advance excellence in research and graduate education to serve existing and emerging industry clusters in the state (photonics, optics, lasers), leverage state resources via partnerships with industry and government, and work in partnership with local, state, and regional economic development organizations to attract, retain, and grow knowledge-based, wealth-producing industries in Florida.

The focus on FPCE's research and education efforts has been on technologies such as nanophotonics, biophotonics, advanced imaging and 3D displays, and ultra-high bandwidth communications - fields expected to see rapid market growth. The grant has supported research infrastructure development (faculty, facilities, and equipment), competitive R&D projects in collaboration with Florida universities and industries, and commercialization efforts through partnerships with the FPCE Industrial Advisory Board, the UCF Technology Incubator, and the Florida Photonics Cluster.