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Meanwhile, however, the European Union faces a continually struggling economy, a refugee crisis, occasional unrest in eastern Europe, and more threats of member countries to exit the union. OIDA estimates that Europe has more photonics companies than the U.S., but the U.S. has more photonics employment. In other words, Europe is more concentrated in smaller companies. But European photonics executives complain that it is possible to form companies, but not to grow them there, due to such issues as restrictive labor laws, a risk-averse investing culture, and lack of close access to important U.S. markets. This contrasts with a recent interview of John Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco, at a technology conference in Paris on 30 June. Chambers claimed that Israel, India, and France are leading the way to digitize their nations, while the U.S. is getting left behind with no game plan. He further claimed that "the start-up community is going to explode in France" and that the region is likely to produce the next Apple or Facebook.
A robust "digital plan" no doubt requires a wide array of assets, from the wireline and wireless infrastructure to the regulatory and tax environment, a risk-taking culture, and STEM-based workforce development. While the U.S. is strong in several of these areas, it isn't strong in all of them, and any nation can quickly fall behind. For more thoughts on public policy for a technology future, see the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Top There are some important funding announcements out of the U.S. Department of Energy in optical communications that we want to share here.
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The first drafts were issued in May 2015, followed by a public comment period, second drafts, and a second public comment period. In February, OSA's Chief Scientist Dr. Gregory Quarles testified before the House Small Business Committee regarding the proposed rule's effect on small business. Dr. Quarles is also a member of the Commerce Department SITAC committee. An internal government committee came to agreement over final rules in April. These were shared with the SITAC committee, then sent on 30 June to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to join its backlog for final administrative review. The OMB-reviewed rule changes would normally be sent to the Congressional House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees for a 60-day notification and review. It is unlikely that Congress will suggest major changes or add new language to the proposed rule changes. Meanwhile, Senator Schumer D-NY sent a letter to top administration officials encouraging them to finalize the rules to implement them before the end of the Obama term. OIDA expects the final rules to be published in the Federal Register this fall. OSA's public policy staff continue to closely follow and contribute to this process. For questions, please contact Laura Kolton at lkolto@osa.org. Top In late June, the National Photonics Initiative (NPI) released two new white papers. A Coordinated Strategy for Manufacturing High Power Lasers. The white paper makes recommendations calling for the establishment of a directed energy program office that will serve to coordinate US manufacturing of high power lasers. A Brighter Future: Eliminating Cancer Through Adoption of New and Enhanced Technologies and a Transformed IT Health Systems. The white paper and cancer technology road map identifies the most promising existing and new technologies for increases and concerted private and public investment to achieve the goals of the National Cancer Moonshot. The NPI also held a webinar in late June that is available to watch on the NPI website: "Achieving the Goals of the National Cancer Moonshot through Adoption of New and Enhanced Technologies and a Transformed IT Health System." This webinar focused on the recommendations of the above mentioned white paper Speakers included:
Are you interested in inviting your member of Congress to speak to your local chapter/cluster or to visit your company for a tour of your facility? Contact the OSA Public Policy team (public-policy@osa.org) and we will work with you on the process. Top The OIDA Funding Accelerator Speed Meetings: SBIR/STTR focusing on optics and photonics funding, will be held in Washington, DC on 17 November 2016. This event will give U.S. companies with less than 500 employees an opportunity to meet one-on-one with program officers from multiple U.S. federal agencies, all in one place, in one day — minimizing your time investment and increasing your chances for new government funding. This OSA event will give you an insider perspective on what agencies are looking to fund; as well as provide you with up-to-date information on each agency's SBIR/STTR funding process, and how you can enhance your probability of success. In addition, the event will help government agencies better understand what OSA Industry Development Associates Members can offer and how the optics and photonics technologies can help them meet their goals. For more information and to secure your company's reservation, please e-mail OSA Director of Corporate Membership, Andrew Dougherty at adougherty@osa.org to RSVP. Top The Laser Applications Conference (LAC) is a new industry conference on Laser Applications at the OSA Lasers Congress. The event takes place 30 October-3 November 2016 in Boston, MA, US. The conference will also include an OIDA Executive Forum on 3 November. The OIDA Executive Forum provides attendees with an exclusive opportunity to hear insider perspectives in an uncensored environment, while participating in high-level networking. Admission is included with your Laser Congress/Laser Applications Conference registration. The LAC will focus on two main topic areas; Materials Processing and High Intensity Lasers for Applications. Materials Processing will include advanced applications for industrial use. High Intensity Lasers for Applications will include applications in defense, scientific research, and energy markets. One of the themes of this meeting will be to initiate discussions on what engineering and production advances are needed to translate promising technological advances into marketable products. Learn more about the conference and exhibition and how to attend. Top Dr. Kathrin Berkner, former Director of R&D for Ricoh Innovations Corporation, who recently joined Apple, was selected as "Top Female Research Leader of the Year" for 2016-2017 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP)! Learn more. Top Public relations is an important part of every successful exhibition strategy. As you look ahead to your Fall exhibition plan — consider what new products will you announce, new sales initiatives or even new hires. How will you share the news of these achievements? Share your news with OSA Industry Development Associates News page at no charge. This site is accessible to the general public, including members of the media and industry analysts. Press releases can be posted directly using a simple submission form. Members of the OSA PR team are also available for consultation on press release writing, media relations and social media. Top Join 3,000 of your colleagues in our Optics & Photonics Industry Network LinkedIn Group. This one-of-a-kind Forum for Industry lets you participate in discussions about cutting-edge issues. Extend your professional network. Exchange information about problems, ideas and solutions. Collaborate with experts in your field. Now is the perfect time to build a relationship with fellow optics and photonics professionals!
We are committed to ensuring the value of your OSA Industry Development Associates Membership, so please email OSA if you have any suggestions for new programs or comments on your membership. Forward this message to your colleagues. Not yet a member? Learn more about the benefits of membership. Top
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John Lincoln (Source: OPN)
John Chambers (Source: World Economic Forum via Wikimedia Commons)
