Technology & Innovation in Glasgow.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V. (BCCG) (Hartmann Ilka & Alexander Altmann) and the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce (Seren Porteous & Richard Muir) organized a truly interesting visit and a fantastic conference at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

At the conference, Michael Schmidt made it clear that the BCCG aims to learn from the Scots and stressed the necessity of learning from each other and thereby laying the foundation for future cooperation.
The conference was opened by Bailie Christy Mearns, Deputy Lord Provost, Glasgow City Council and in her speech, she mentioned: “world-class quantum technology work being done in Scotland”. 
Dr. Una Marvet, Head of our Photonics Design Centre in Glasgow at ALTER TECHNOLOGY TUV NORD UK LTD held an extremely interesting keynote on our activities in Scotland.
Photonics is used for every aspect of our lives and is an inherently green technology – the indirect potential impact in 2030 when photonics is employed is 3 billion tons less C02. From reduced energy consumption in data centers to less fertilizer use, through the reduced use of resources in manufacturing, or by enabling new recycling processes and technologies – photonics is a driver of global sustainability.
Laser communications between satellites or from satellite to ground can enable high-speed connectivity with reduced spacecraft resources in terms of mass, real estate, and power. Space-based laser systems establish high-capacity networks from satellites in low earth or geostationary orbits, to increase capacity and provide global coverage.
Information on climate change, emissions, and earth surface temperatures are critical for policy making and monitoring and photonics provides highly detailed real-time data.