EKONOMISKA FORENINGEN PHOTONICSWEDEN

Their core work

PhotonicsSweden is the Swedish national photonics industry association that coordinates the growth and visibility of the photonics sector across Sweden and Europe. They run outreach campaigns targeting young people, entrepreneurs, and SMEs to raise awareness of photonics applications and career paths. They play a key role in shaping EU-level photonics strategy through the Photonics21 public-private partnership and connect regional innovation ecosystems with European funding and market opportunities. Their work spans career development programs, innovation audits for SMEs, and building bridges between photonics research and industrial application.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015-2017), PhotonicsSweden focused on broad-based promotion, outreach, and networking — building the European photonics community through cluster coordination and cross-sectoral awareness (Photonics4All, EuroPho21, RespiceSME). From 2018 onward, their work shifted decisively toward practical impact: SME innovation support, career development, gender empowerment, investment coaching, and embedding photonics within Digital Innovation Hubs. The trajectory shows a maturation from "telling people photonics matters" to "helping companies and people actually use and work in photonics."

Moving toward hands-on SME innovation services and Digital Innovation Hub infrastructure, making them increasingly valuable as a bridge between photonics technology providers and companies seeking to adopt photonics solutions.

How they like to work

PhotonicsSweden operates exclusively as a participant, never as a coordinator — their role is to bring Swedish photonics ecosystem access and regional reach into larger European consortia. With 100 unique partners across 19 countries from just 8 projects, they are deeply embedded in the European photonics network and act as a hub organization. This makes them a low-risk, well-connected partner who already knows the key players in European photonics and can open doors to the Swedish market and innovation ecosystem.

Exceptionally well-networked for their size: 100 unique consortium partners across 19 countries from only 8 projects, averaging 12.5 partners per project. Their network spans most of the EU, with strong ties to the Photonics21 community and regional innovation authorities.

What sets them apart

PhotonicsSweden is the go-to Swedish entry point for European photonics collaboration — an industry association that has been embedded in every major Photonics21 strategy initiative since 2015. Unlike universities or companies, they represent an entire national photonics ecosystem, giving consortium partners access to Swedish SMEs, research groups, and regional funding in one relationship. Their consistent track record across 8 CSA/IA projects shows they deliver on coordination and outreach without the overhead of managing large technical work packages.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PhotonHub Europe
  Their most recent and longest-running project (2021-2026), positioning them as part of the EU's flagship photonics Digital Innovation Hub — a one-stop-shop for SME innovation support.
• EuroPho21
  Their largest funded project (EUR 210,344) and the foundational Photonics21 PPP strategy implementation that established their role in European photonics governance.
• CARLA
  Represents their evolution into workforce development with explicit focus on gender empowerment and entrepreneurship in photonics careers — a distinctive social dimension.