In September, the Czech Optical Cluster took part in the prestigious international conference Photonics, Lasers, Space: Designing the Future Society – Vision 2040, which we co-organized with member companies and partners from both the Czech Republic and Japan as part of EXPO 2025 in Osaka.
The conference explored a vision for 2040, where photonics and laser technologies will unlock new opportunities for science, industry, and space applications. Over three days, representatives from companies and universities in the Czech Republic and Japan had the chance to exchange experiences, share expertise, and present long-term visions for applying photonics and lasers in fields such as energy, biotechnology, healthcare, quantum technologies, the space industry, and engineering. Key topics also included international collaboration, technology transfer, and mobility opportunities for young researchers.
A highlight of the program was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ELI – Extreme Light Infrastructure and Osaka University (Graduate School of Engineering). This milestone represents not only a shared vision for the future of high-power lasers, but also a concrete commitment to accelerating innovation across continents.
The conference made it clear that Czech and Japanese scientific and technological communities stand side by side at the forefront of global trends in laser science and its applications.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our Japanese partners – the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Graduate School of Engineering, and KPSI – National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST). Our gratitude also goes to our Czech partners – Rigaku Innovative Technologies Europe s.r.o., HiLASE Centre, ELI – Extreme Light Infrastructure, Lightigo, SQS Vlaknová optika a.s., IQS nano, CactuX s.r.o., Lightigo and CEITEC – as well as to the Czech National Pavilion team led by Ondřej Soška for their excellent organizational support.
Video: expo-coc.mp4
