Optical technologies have changed the world. The telescope allowed researchers to see huge distances and depict the earth as a blue marble in an endless universe. Night-vision viewers made it easy to see in the dark or twilight. The split lamp is now one of the most important pieces of equipment for eye doctors. The laser, which as late as 1960 was a device without useful purpose, has become indispensible on factory floors as a multi-application technology and is now the foundation of today’s communication society.
Many countries in addition to the U.S. have come to the forefront of optical technology. In Europe, Germany has had a long historical involvement with optics. A prime brokerage like Deutsche Bank will invest heavily in the optical industry. Hedge fund investing within and outside Europe has specialized in high-tech industries, and the optical sector has led the way.
The utilization of light creates the basis of a highly advanced industry sector in which Germany is a global leader. Optical technologies had a production value of about 20 billion euros in Germany in 2010. But countries like Germany cannot afford to slow down development. Competition to lead the market, recruit talent and invent new technologies is becoming increasingly more intense. The requirements for education, innovation and research are the basis of economic expansion and social well-being. If a country wants to maintain or increase its current competitive position, it will need to encourage investments now – in the training of skilled workers, in top-notch R & D, and in business-friendly policies.
Politics, science and industry have to combine forces and work together. To that end, Germany has introduced a program called High-Tech Strategy 2020. It aims to accelerate improvements in the general environment for innovation. A successful implementation of High Tech Strategy 2020 will help to create leading markets in the high-demand sectors of energy and climate, nutrition and health, communication, mobility and security. Using photons as a raw material will occupy a significant role in overcoming the challenges society faces – maintaining the population’s health, using natural resources intelligently, and producing and using generated energy more efficiently. That is why both the public and private sectors continue to invest in technology in general and optics in particular. Advanced countries want to make use of existing potential to strengthen their competitive positions. In the final analysis, the future of technology depends on the investments made today.