CIPI - Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations

www.cipi.ulaval.ca

Photonics is the science of generating, manipulating, transmitting and detecting light. Light-based technologies are rapidly being implemented in diverse areas such as information technology, telecommunications, environmental monitoring, biomedical science and industrial processes. Canada's global leadership in photonics has resulted in medical and technological advances and has produced a strong economic impact in the country.

CIPI brings university researchers, public sector and industrial partners together in state-of-the-art facilities to stimulate innovations in photonics. It promotes the commercial potential of discoveries to generate wealth and enhance the quality of life for Canadians.

In collaboration with industrial partners, CIPI's team of internationally renowned investigators is developing photonics applications along three thrusts: Information and Telecommunications; Biophotonics; and Frontier Photonics. There are currently 15 projects under way.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) involves administering light-activated drugs that tend to accumulate in tumours or rapidly developing blood vessels. When light is directed onto the tissue via an optical fibre, it causes a chemical process that eventually destroys the tumour. To date, this method has been most successful in treating age-related macular degeneration – the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.

CIPI investigators are proposing a novel method for light delivery that they believe may reduce damage to surrounding tissue. This research could lead to more effective treatment – localized delivery to a small micron-sized spot at the focal point of the laser and less out-of-focus damage. PDT by two-photon excitation of the sensitizer will have very important applications in areas where damage to healthy tissue must be avoided, such as in the eye or the brain.

In addition to its research program, CIPI also supports activities aimed at fostering technology exploitation and networking. The TEN program (Technology Exploitation and Networking) strives to bridge the gap between university outcome and industrial innovation. It helps researchers start new collaborations with industrial partners, enhances the training experience of graduate students by funding internships to other facilities and encourages the transfer of commercializable technology to a Canadian-based partner organization. The TEN program is open to all researchers working at a Canadian institution.

In 2004-2005, a total of nine patents were filed, two patents were issued and one licence was under negotiation with industry. One spin-off company was being formed.

HQP is being developed through the CIPI research program and also through exchanges funded by the TEN Program. Students work with industry or government labs, with the result that the projects they carry out are relevant to the supporting partner's needs. CIPI's student network organizes several workshops, training seminars and conferences specifically targeting the development of graduate students. Careers and research in photonics, fabrication of semiconductor photonic devices and IP issues are among the topics covered at events sponsored and organized by CIPI students in the past year.

Research collaborations originating from CIPI projects have led to further research initiatives funded by other programs. CIPI has spawned new networks of investigators such as the Agile All-Photonics Network, based at McGill University. A major, world-class research facility funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, called the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS), is the result of collaborative work by a group of investigators brought together by CIPI. Several CIPI research teams have been successful at leveraging their NCE support to participate in larger, international programs.

Provincial Reach:

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Distribution of Research Personnel in 2004-2005

For more information visit the CIPI Web site.