The University of Southampton

Airguide Photonics, hosted at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), is a £6m EPSRC-funded research programme aiming to revolutionise fibre optics.

Optical fibres lie at the heart of our increasingly technological society. For example, they support the internet and mobile communications that we all now take for granted, they save lives through medical diagnosis and interventions using fibre-optic endoscopes, and they enable the mass production of a huge array of commercial products through fibre laser based materials processing.

Within our Airguide Photonics research programme we aim to translate Hollow Core Fibre (HCF) technology from the research lab to a deployable fibre technology, unleashing innovative applications across a broad range of science and engineering fields.

The ORC has been pioneering the development of fibre optics and advancing communications technology for many years and has an impressive record of using research funding to collaborate with academic and industry partners. The AirGuide Photonics programme promises to push at the boundaries once more. We are confident that the research will uncover more discoveries and lead to world-leading innovations.

Professor Tom Rodden - Deputy Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
  • 8 November 2023

    The Optoelectronics Research Centre at ECOC 2023

    The European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) was held in Glasgow this year. The Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), based at the University of Southampton, had a strong presence at the conference, bringing many of its leading academics and showcasing two flagship programmes: CORNERSTONE and the Future Photonics Hub.

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  • 3 August 2023

    FASTNET Prosperity Partnership grant:...

    The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) recently granted to FASTNET, a collaborative project between Microsoft and the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton. Prosperity Partnership grants support business-led research that arise from an industrial need by establishing research at low technology readiness levels (TRL) between businesses and academia.

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  • 26 April 2023

    Adventures in Light: Bidding Farewell to...

    Professor David Richardson, Deputy Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton, has recently moved to Microsoft after they acquired the ORC spin-out company Lumenisity in December 2022. David was one of the founders of the company and now holds the role of Chief Technical Officer in the Microsoft company.

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