In this EPIC Panel Session at W3+ JENA, we bring together key players across the photonics value chain to discuss how photonics is enabling disruptive solutions in medtech, aerospace, consumer electronics, and advanced manufacturing. The conversation will explore the current state of the European photonics ecosystem — its strengths, bottlenecks, and global competitiveness — as well as the importance of fostering collaborations between deep tech and application-driven industries.
The panelists will reflect on how companies can thrive in a cross-technology landscape and how European photonics can maintain leadership in a fiercely competitive global environment.
The panel session will take place on 25 September morning, at W3+ Jena trade fair. This Panel Session is free of charge for those who have W3 + Fair tickets, which you can get on the W3 website or ask us to provide.
Contact Lidia Briquets if you need more information: lidia.briquets@epic-photonics.com
Alain Schebath (Managing Director) received his PhD in Regional Economic Development and Town Planning from the University of Paris and the Town Planning Institute of Paris. After working as a consultant on projects related to local development, transport, urban marketing, local finances, and city management, he was an invited researcher at Yokohama National University in Japan for three years. He has published over twenty papers in refereed journals. Upon returning to France, he worked at the Essonne County Development Agency in the Paris Region as Project Manager and CEO for 15 years, where he was involved in projects with foreign companies in the fields of optics, life sciences, IT, and green and clean technologies. He joined Optosigma Europe in 2016 as Administrative Manager. He became General Manager of OSE in April 2019 and CEO of Optosigma Germany GmbH in January 2024.
Ulrike Fuchs (VP Strategy & Innovation) joined asphericon in 2010, focusing early on the connection between aspheric manufacturing, metrology and optical design. With her team, she develops concepts to improve the prediction of system performance in optical design and tolerancing, now extending these methods to freeform optics. As Vice President Strategy & Innovation, she oversees all R&D activities and strategic product development at asphericon. She holds six patent families and received the inaugural Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award in 2018. From 2018 to 2024, she served as an Associate Editor for Optics Express and has authored over 70 publications. In recognition of her contributions, she was named an Optica Fellow in 2020. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of Optica (2023–2025), actively shaping the future of the optics community. Ulrike earned her PhD in physics from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, where she worked in the field of ultrashort laser pulses, both experimentally and through simulations.
