The team at Glyndŵr University’s OpTIC facility in St Asaph received the award from the Welsh Government’s A4B scheme.
A4B is a six year £70million programme of support funded by the Welsh Government and European Structural Funds which provides a portfolio of cash support for knowledge transfer from academia to business.
The money will allow the University’s National Facility for Ultra Precision Services to respond even quicker to the needs of the UK and international optics industry.
And it comes after the Glyndŵr University team polishing mirrors for the £900m European-Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) won the race to meet challenging ESO (European Southern Observatory) specifications, putting them in pole position to help produce all of the segments required for its primary mirror.
The first phase nine-month programme supported by A4B not only produces a series of technology demonstrators to showcase new metrology, machining and automation processes, but also establishes for the first time a structured programme of industrially relevant research and development and training in support of the optics industry.
Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales, Julie Williams, said: “I’m delighted this funding will enable Glyndŵr University to continue its research and development in this highly specialised field and open opportunities for international collaboration.
“Their work on the European-Extremely Large Telescope has already helped put Wales firmly on the map as an area of technical expertise in the optics industry and I wish them every success with this latest phase of work.”
Co-ordinated through a series of special interest groups bringing together leading industrial and academic players, the initiative draws upon the world class expertise already gained by Glyndŵr in fulfilling the demands of the E-ELT, the largest contract ever awarded by ESO to a UK contractor.
