Business Wire

WA-SPIE

Share
SPIE and The University of Manchester announce $1-million endowment for postgraduate scholarships

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and The University of Manchester announced the establishment of the SPIE-Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship in Photonics, today during SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco. The $500,000 gift from SPIE will be matched 100% by the University. Part of the SPIE Endowment Matching Program, this new endowment will support both early-career researchers and returning researchers at the University’s Photon Science Institute in partnership with the Royce Institute, the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation. This is the 11th major SPIE gift to universities and institutes as part of the Society's ongoing program to support the expansion of optical engineering teaching and research.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240126857659/en/

To view this piece of content from mms.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Doctoral students at work in the Photon Science Institute lab. (Photo: Business Wire)

With a goal of increasing diversity in optics and photonics, the SPIE-Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship will have a particular focus on funding individuals returning to research following a career break or time in industry, and those pursuing unconventional career pathways or part-time study (situations often necessitated by caring responsibilities, for example). Aligning current research and industrial needs for a robust training pipeline, an additional unique feature of the scholarship is an optional final-year placement of up to 12 months, during which students can develop industry-relevant skills in collaboration with local optics and photonics companies.

“Today marks just the beginning of the partnership between The University of Manchester and SPIE,” noted Department Head of Research for Physics and Astronomy at The University of Manchester Dr. Patrick Parkinson. “The establishment of the SPIE-Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship in Photonics is a testament to our shared values within skills training, fostering diversity in education and the vital role of photonics. This announcement holds special significance as it coincides with the University’s bicentenary year. We take great pride in using this generous donation to not only advance research and education, but also to solidify our existing partnerships and forge new industrial collaborations to deliver a doctoral training program that will ensure a sustainable workforce for the North West of England.”

“Our expanding field needs researchers and engineers, though for some who might be interested in a photonics career, traditional educational paths are barriers to their success,” said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. “The SPIE-Manchester Postgraduate Scholarship in Photonics aims to remove those barriers and provide exciting opportunities for early-career researchers and those who may be pursuing unconventional career paths. Working internally at the university’s Photon Science Institute with the option of an industry-focused placement, promises to benefit young researchers, as well as our future diverse workforce. I very much look forward to meeting the leaders in optics and photonics technologies who will emerge from this dynamic partnership between SPIE and The University of Manchester.”

The SPIE Endowment Matching Program was established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics. With this latest gift, SPIE has provided over $4 million in matching gifts, resulting in more than $11 million in dedicated funds. The SPIE Endowment Matching Program supports optics and photonics education and the future of the industry by contributing a match of up to $500,000 per award to college, institute, and university programs with optics and photonics degrees, or with other disciplines allied to the SPIE mission.

About the University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a member of the prestigious Russell Group and one of the UK’s largest single-site universities. We have over 40,000 students, 12,000 staff and, with 500,000 former students from more than 190 countries, are home to the largest alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK. We are ranked in the top ten of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings globally; are the top UK University for graduate employability according to The Graduate Market in 2022 and no fewer than 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied here. Manchester was also named 5th place for research power — the quality and scale of research and impact — in the UK government’s (REF) 2021. Visit www.manchester.ac.uk for further information or https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/vision/ for our latest strategic vision.

About SPIE

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $24 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240126857659/en/

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com
DK

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Tahoe Therapeutics Selects Parse Biosciences’ GigaLab to Generate 300 Million Single Cell Profiles for Large-Scale Perturbation Atlas11.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release

Parse’s GigaLab to provide industry leading, large-scale, single cell services to support Tahoe’s development of foundational biological datasets Parse Biosciences, a leading provider of accessible and scalable single cell sequencing solutions, today announced that Tahoe Therapeutics has selected Parse’s GigaLab to generate data for its upcoming 300M cell project. Tahoe will use its proprietary Mosaic technology to generate samples consisting of 300M cells from large arrays of disease models, genetically or chemically perturbed. Under this agreement, Parse will apply its Evercode™ chemistry and high-throughput automation to these samples to deliver the largest perturbation-focused single cell dataset ever produced. Parse’s GigaLab, designed specifically for million- to hundred-million-cell projects, has rapidly become an industry benchmark for large-scale, reproducible single cell data generation. The facility integrates high-capacity liquid handling, standardized workflows, and end-to

Xsight Labs X2 Switch to Enable Next-Generation Starlink Satellites and Deliver Gigabit Connectivity11.12.2025 14:00:00 CET | Press release

High-bandwidth, ultra-low-power chip is leveraged for Starlink V3 satellites and future next-generation communication systems. News Highlights: Xsight’s X2 switch enables Starlink V3 satellite Delivers the performance required for rapid data processing, stable telemetry, and real-time operational responsiveness for Starlink X2’s flexible, programmable architecture adapts seamlessly to diverse orbital and ground-based networking workloads Xsight Labs, an innovator in high-performance connectivity silicon, today announced that Starlink, the world’s most advanced satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit, delivering broadband, will leverage the Xsight X2 Programmable Ethernet switch to serve as the high-speed networking core for its next-generation Starlink V3 satellites. Each V3 Starlink satellite is designed to deliver more than 1 terabit per second (Tbps) of fronthaul throughput, more than 10× the capacity delivered by Starlink V2 Mini satellites, and about 160 gigabits per second (Gb

Payments Leaders Unprepared for 2026 Disruption, Warns ACI Worldwide11.12.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release

ACI’s Top Ten Payments Predictions for 2026 urges payments leaders to act amid structural shifts in global payments Most global payments leaders lack a clear roadmap to navigate the seismic changes coming in 2026 , according to the latest Top Ten Payments Predictions from ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), an original innovator in global payments technology. With AI-driven intelligence, next-gen authentication, new regulatory frameworks, and soaring demand for instant, embedded, and secure payments, the industry is entering an era of structural disruption. However, ACI’s recent report Payments in Transition: Leadership in an era of transformation reveals that only 36% of payments executives have a clear long-term modernization roadmap, leaving many without a strategic vision for transformation. “In 2026, payments disruption won’t be incremental—it will be structural,” said Philip Bruno, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at ACI Worldwide. “Real-time is now the baseline, digital assets are en

Andersen Global styrker sine vurderingskapaciteter i Asien og Stillehavsområdet med ETC11.12.2025 12:29:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse

Andersen Global fortsætter med at udvide sin tilstedeværelse i Asien og Stillehavsområdet gennem en samarbejdsaftale med Edmund Tie & Company (ETC), et full-service ejendomsrådgivningsfirma med hovedsæde i Singapore. ETC blev stiftet i 1995 og leverer vurderings- og rådgivningsydelser på tværs af ejendommens livscyklus, herunder lovpligtig og selskabsrelateret vurdering, investeringsrådgivning, feasibility-analyser og rådgivning om ejendomsskat. Med aktiviteter i Singapore, Malaysia og Thailand kombinerer ETC dybdegående regional viden med internationale standarder for at støtte udviklere, investorer, private og statslige fonde, selskaber, REIT'er samt ejere og lejere. Firmaet er kendt for sin forskningsbaserede tilgang og integrerede servicemodel og hjælper kunder med at navigere i komplekse lovgivninger og optimere værdien af deres aktiver. "Vores styrke ligger ikke kun i den tekniske udførelse, men i at hjælpe kunder med at se det fulde billede – at forbinde markedssignaler, lovgivn

AB InBev and International Cricket Council Announce Landmark Global Partnership11.12.2025 10:31:00 CET | Press release

World’s Leading Brewer becomes the Official Beer Partner of the ICC The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced AB InBev (Euronext: ABI) (NYSE: BUD) (MEXBOL: ANB) (JSE: ANH), the world’s leading brewer, will become the Official Beer Partner for all major ICC tournaments starting in 2026. The partnership will be led by Budweiser 0.0, Budweiser’s no-alcohol beer in India, with other ABI mega brands activating in Europe and Africa. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251211250826/en/ AB InBev and ICC announce global partnership From attending a match live in-stadium to watching one at a bar or pub with friends, with a lower alcohol-by-volume (ABV) and no-alcohol options like Budweiser 0.0, beer is the natural choice to enjoy responsibly. Through this partnership with the ICC, AB InBev will create more moments of cheers, choice and celebration for cricket fans of legal drinking age all over the world. ICC CEO, S

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye