Photonics for Life
How can we support physicians in diagnosing cancer faster, more gently and more accurately? How can we help them to treat patients with life-threatening infections in a tailored manner and thus jointly counter the danger of growing antibiotic resistance? Which drug residues pollute our waters and what is in our food?
We use light to find solutions to such and similar questions and to urgent problems in the areas of health, environment, medicine and safety. We, that is currently more than 450 employees from 38 countries.
The foundation for our research is laid by an outstanding technological infrastructure, operated by a large number of competent specialists. The researchers are supported by more than a quarter of them, incidentally, doctoral students, and technologists by highly motivated teams in the administration and the various staff units.
Organisationally and as a basis for the programme budgets, there are three programme areas at the Leibniz-IPHT: Biophotonics, Fiber Optics and Photonic Detection.
We assign our work to six research fields.
Our Vision
We develop light-based solutions that address key societal challenges in the fields of health, medicine, environment, energy, and security—solutions that make life safer, healthier, and more sustainable.
Our Mission
We research biophotonic methods and technologies that push the boundaries of resolution, sensitivity, specificity, speed, accuracy, and automation. In doing so, we lay the groundwork for faster and more precise medical diagnostics, innovative therapies, and safe medications, as well as for new standards in food and environmental analysis, sustainable energy solutions, and advanced security technologies.
We attach great importance to ensuring that our research services are exploited in the public interest and for the benefit of society, which is why we pursue active and diverse technology and knowledge transfer. Together with its partners, our institute covers the entire chain from basic technological research to the translation into tailor-made solutions for various applications, according to the maxim “From Ideas to Instruments”.
