CORNERSTONE was honoured to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to the University of Southampton on Friday 3rd October 2025. The visit highlighted how ground-breaking, light-based technologies are powering the UK’s economic growth and strengthening its global leadership in silicon photonics. During the visit, The Duke explored the University’s cleanroom facilities, gaining first-hand…
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At the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, we lead the way in advancing silicon photonics technologies, fostering collaboration across the UK’s academic and industrial communities.
Through events, conferences, and public engagement initiatives, we aim to inspire dialogue, showcase advancements, and connect stakeholders to tackle global challenges, enhance lives, and boost productivity with transformative photonics innovations.
UK Photonics in Focus: CORNERSTONE Leads Discussion on Growth and Innovation at Labour Party Conference
From 28 September to 1 October 2025, CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), in partnership with the New Statesman, the UK’s leading progressive political and cultural publication, hosted a well-attended panel discussion at the Labour Party’s Annual Conference in Liverpool, exploring how photonics is shaping the UK’s innovation landscape and the opportunities it presents for national…
CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre Launches Open GitHub Repository at ECOC 2025
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), the UK’s dedicated Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for silicon photonics, has announced the launch of its new Open Platform at the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2025 on 29th September. The platform marks a major step towards open-source collaboration in photonics, providing researchers, innovators, and industry partners…
Science Minister Opens New E-beam Lithography Facility at CORNERSTONE, Enhancing UK Silicon Photonics Capabilities
A new state-of-the-art E-beam lithography facility has been officially opened at the University of Southampton, marking a significant enhancement to the UK’s national semiconductor and silicon photonics infrastructure. The facility—housed within CORNERSTONE at the University’s Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC)—was inaugurated by the UK’s Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance, during a recent visit to the campus. He…
Light for Future Semiconductors: Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics
The CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre successfully hosted its latest event, “Roundtable: Light for Future Semiconductors – Unlocking Economic Growth Through Photonics,” on 18th of March 2025. The discussion, attended by key stakeholders, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to spotlight the UK’s leadership in photonics and its potential to drive economic growth. The discussion focused…
University of Southampton to develop cutting-edge semiconductor technologies based on photonic chips in major European project
The University of Southampton, represented by the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, is one of two UK participants named as part of the PIXEurope consortium, a collaboration between research organisations from across Europe which will develop, and manufacture prototypes based on photonic chips. Photonic chips transmit and manipulate light and offer significantly faster performance with lower…
Cornerstone Photonics Innovation Centre Launches at House of Lords
Cornerstone, the UK’s open-access prototyping foundry for silicon photonics (SiPh), officially launched its new Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC) on 12th February at a prestigious event hosted at the House of Lords. The launch brought together leading figures from industry, academia, and government, with keynote speeches from Dr Dave Smith, the UK’s National Technology Adviser, and Professor Graham Reed, Director of…
CORNERSTONE’s New Photonics Innovation Centre to Accelerate Silicon Photonics Commercialisation
We are excited to formally open the doors of the new CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC). Serving as the UK’s primary technology hub for SiPh, it will facilitate the translation of exceptional SiPh research into scalable, industry-ready solutions capable of supporting a variety of existing and emerging applications. Since its founding in 2014 through an Engineering…
Transforming Ideas into Innovation: Hands-On Silicon Photonics Training at CORNERSTONE
In the month of November, CORNERSTONE welcomed participants from diverse industries to its three-day PhotonHub Experience Centre course: Silicon Photonics – Build Your Own Thermo-Optic Modulator. Hosted at the University of Southampton, this immersive event introduced both beginners and experienced professionals to the intricate world of silicon photonics fabrication. From the moment participants donned their cleanroom…