In September 2026 I attended an event presented by Photonics Scotland, showcasing some of the organisations operating across Scotland’s photonics ecosystem. What struck me wasn’t just the quality of the individual technologies. It was the breadth of capability. From optical design and freeform optics to space instrumentation, single-photon imaging, medical diagnostics, advanced lasers and materials analysis. Scotland is doing far more in Photonics than many people realise.

Here are a few examples.

Walker Optics demonstrates Scotland’s depth in specialist optical engineering. From optical system design and Zemax modelling to infrared optics, lasers and design for manufacture, the company provides the kind of specialist expertise that can turn an optical concept into an engineered system.

The UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh takes Scottish photonics into space. Its teams design and build sophisticated instruments for major astronomical facilities, contributing to projects involving organisations such as NASA, ESA and the European Southern Observatory. This is highly complex engineering across optics, imaging, spectroscopy, detectors and instrumentation. Scottish engineers have contributed to technology that has ended up on the James Webb Space Telescope.

Singular Photonics sits at the fascinating intersection of photonics, semiconductors and electronics. Its SPAD-based image sensors are designed to detect individual photons while integrating processing capability into the sensor. That has potentially significant implications for high-performance imaging, particularly where low latency, low power and high information density matter.

PowerPhotonic is tackling a different challenge: controlling light with extraordinary precision. Its freeform optical components are designed to improve the performance of advanced laser systems across applications including healthcare, industrial technology and communications. It is a reminder that sometimes very small improvements in optical performance can create very large improvements at system level.

Then there is Optos. The Fife-based company has turned photonics into a global medical technology business. Its ultra-widefield retinal imaging technology enables clinicians to capture an exceptionally wide view of the retina, helping support the detection and management of retinal disease. This is photonics moving all the way from optical engineering to a globally deployed healthcare product.

Fraunhofer UK represents another essential part of the ecosystem: helping bridge the gap between research and industry. Through its Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde, it supports application-driven R&D across areas including lasers, optics and quantum technologies. That bridge between “this could work” and “this works commercially” is critical to deep tech.

Forensic Eyes demonstrates the importance of the capability surrounding the technology. Its work in materials analysis, inspection, reliability and failure investigation helps understand why advanced electronic systems fail — and how they can be made more reliable. Because developing great technology is only half the battle. You have to make it work.

So what does this tell us about Scottish photonics? For me, the key takeaway is that Scotland isn’t simply home to a collection of interesting photonics companies. It has an ecosystem of: Research, Optical design, Photonics, Semiconductors, Electronics, Lasers, Imaging, Space technology, Medical technology, Testing, Manufacturing, Commercialisation, and increasingly, quantum technology.

The Photonics & Quantum Accelerator is another important piece of this puzzle, connecting universities, industry and investors with the objective of accelerating the commercialisation of photonics and quantum technologies.

That creates an interesting question.

If the technology capability is already here, what determines how far Scotland can take it?

I would argue that two key answers are investment and people.
The next stage isn’t necessarily about inventing more technology.
It’s about taking the technology that already exists and developing it → manufacturing it → commercialising it → scaling it.
That requires people in the form of engineers (Optical, Photonics, Laser, Electronics, Semiconductor, Systems, Manufacturing) and with them Technical leaders. The people who can take a technology and then turn it into a business.

This is something I see repeatedly working with Deep Tech R&D teams.
The technology can be exceptional.
The funding can be there.
The market opportunity can be significant.
But without the right technical people, none of it scales.

That’s why I think the Scottish Photonics sector is so interesting right now.
The capability is already here.

The question is how far we can take it and ultimately, whether we can build the talent pipeline required to turn Scotland’s photonics capability into the next generation of globally successful technology companies.

That’s a challenge I expect to be talking about a lot more.

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