French Photonics Roadmap
The provided document is the official "French Photonics Roadmap" (Feuille de Route de la Photonique Française), published on May 16, 2018, by Photonics France—the national federation created through the merger of AFOP and CNOP. The document emphasizes that photonics, as the science and technology of light, is recognized by the European Union as a key enabling technology of the 21st century, generating approximately €15 billion in revenue in France across more than 1,000 companies employing over 80,000 professionals. The strategy is built around two primary initiatives: structuring the sector under the new federation to boost its visibility and attract talent, and closely aligning with key application markets. It identifies six priority market sectors—environment, agriculture and agri-food, medical and life sciences, the factory of the future, stationary lighting, and transport and mobility—where photonics innovation provides a critical competitive edge. At the same time, the roadmap outlines France's pillars of technological and industrial excellence, covering imaging and vision, laser technologies, optics and optomechanics, nanophotonics and integration, and emerging quantum photonics.