April 2001 Back to Volume 14 Issue 4 Article 8 of 12 Laser jocks reach the big time Optoelectronics is flourishing in Scotland with new firms spinning off from local universities every month. Valerie Jamieson finds out why it is boom time for the region. People power During the Californian gold rush 150 years ago, the people who made the real fortunes were the merchants selling picks, shovels and jeans, rather than the gold miners. The story is similar in today's telecommunications industry.
Recent surveys indicate that Scotland's share of the spoils is increasing rapidly.
Some 4000 people are currently employed in the sector, including 450 researchers in 16 university departments that specialize in optoelectronics. Several centres have recently been set up to bridge the gap between academic research and industry. The Photonics Innovation Centre at St Andrews University, for example, provides facilities that enable prototype devices to be designed, manufactured and fully tested. Such facilities allow fledgling start-up companies to cut the costs, time and risk associated with commercializing new technologies. When it comes to research, Napier University is not considered one of the heavyweights in Scotland.