C-PIC is offering two travel grants of up to £3,000 each to support attendance at Photonics West 2027. The grant will cover travel and accommodation costs and is aimed at applicants whose work is relevant to Mission 2 of the UK National Quantum Strategy: developing advanced quantum networking and communications infrastructure. Successful applicants will be…
News & Insights
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.
From Research to Startup: CEO of Deep Fabrication Yasir Noori’s Future Worlds Journey
Future Worlds is the University of Southampton’s on-campus startup accelerator, helping founders commercialise their ideas with funding, mentoring and a network of investor support. Their ethos is to challenge researchers to ask “why not?” and give them the support they need to think big and pursue the business ideas that could change our world. At…
How CORNERSTONE’s MeEDI® Project is Supporting Professional Development and Inclusion in STEM
At CORNERSTONE, we know that building the future of silicon photonics requires more than investment in technology – it requires investment in the people shaping the industry. By nurturing individual aptitudes and developing broader skills that build confidence, we can empower people’s careers so that when they enter STEM, they stay. This is also crucial…
MPW Additional Services
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Why silicon photonics will help power the UK’s AI hardware future
Why the AI Hardware Plan matters The Plan recognises that sovereign capability in chips and semiconductor technologies is strategically important. As AI systems demand more, countries that can scale enabling hardware will be better placed to secure resilience and long-term competitiveness. That is especially true in the UK, where there is already capability across the photonics stack.…
Duality: Listen to Light
Join us for a unique evening where orchestral music and physics come together to explore the quantum nature of light. Orchestral music from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries follows the story of our evolving scientific understanding of light: from electromagnetic waves to photons, from the mind-bending idea of wave-particle duality to quantum states of…
From R&D to Commercialisation: How CORNERSTONE Supports Silicon Photonics Startups
Earlier this month, the CORNERSTONE team joined Future Worlds for their Demo Day 2026 to celebrate some of the most exciting research-led startups emerging from the University of Southampton and wider ecosystem. Among the founders pitching in London were Theo Rangarajan of Luminetic and Farah Comis of Altro Photonics. These two early-stage companies, which…
The silicon photonics crossroads: CORNERSTONE market research uncovers major scale-up challenges as global momentum builds
Southampton, UK, 17 June 2026 – Challenges with prototyping and access to scale-up infrastructure risk stalling the growth of the silicon photonics (SiPh) sector in key global markets if not urgently addressed, new market research published by the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, today reveals. The market research, conducted via OnePoll and featuring insights from 500…
PIC Bootcamp Wrap-Up: Training the Next Generation of UK Silicon Photonics Talent
As an open-access silicon photonics foundry and innovation hub, we are proud to play a part in building capability across the sector. The PIC Bootcamp reflects that mission in action, helping researchers, engineers, start-ups and industry professionals build the skills and confidence needed to develop the next generation of photonic technologies. Why PIC Bootcamp was…
UK silicon photonics sector poised for landmark growth if hurdles can be overcome, new study from CORNERSTONE reveals
SOUTHAMPTON, UK, 14th May 2026 – The UK’s Silicon Photonics (SiPh) sector is entering a critical inflection point, with strong industry intent and growing market demand creating a significant opportunity for the country to build key sovereign capabilities in a burgeoning tech sector, new market research from the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre reveals. SiPh, which integrates light-based components onto silicon chips, is fast becoming one of the…