PHIRE at InfraM(R)ED: New Connections for Healthcare Photonics
19 October 2026
Laser manufacturers, clinical spectroscopy experts and AI specialists bring different expertise to health innovation. At the IR WORKshop “beyond borders” – Kick-off Meeting of the InfraM(R)ED Alliance, these perspectives came together around a shared interest: new medical applications of infrared photonics.
Held on 15–16 October 2026 at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the workshop brought together researchers, industry representatives and innovation specialists.
Dr Artur Trajnerowicz from Łukasiewicz – Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics, a PHIRE consortium partner, introduced the project and its work to improve access to European Technology Infrastructures for healthcare photonics.
From expertise to real needs
Discussions included Prof. Ryszard Piramidowicz, who presented innovation support opportunities through PhotonHub PHACTORY, and representatives of nanoplus and IRScope.
Dr Trajnerowicz also spoke with experts involved in CLIRPath-AI, an initiative combining spectroscopy, pathology and artificial intelligence.
Another conversation was with Adam Piotrowski, CEO of VIGO Photonics, who expressed his willingness to support PHIRE activities.
Exchanges with Borislav Hinkov, whose work includes mid-infrared photonics and spectroscopy, Jarosław Sotor and Łukasz Czukowicz from Wrocław University of Science and Technology brought further perspectives on specialist technologies and cooperation between universities and industry.
Why these contacts matter for PHIRE
The value of these discussions is not simply the number of contacts made. PHIRE needs to understand how existing facilities and services match the needs of those developing healthcare photonics solutions.
That means identifying where testing capabilities, pilot production or specialist expertise may be difficult to access, and what would make cooperation across borders easier.
Conversations with researchers, industry and innovation support organisations can help inform the project’s infrastructure mapping and gap analysis.
PHIRE thanks Łukasz Sterczewski for the invitation and Johannes Kunsch for initiating the InfraM(R)ED Alliance.
The next step is to turn this stakeholder insight into a clearer picture of available services, unmet needs, and opportunities for cooperation across Europe’s healthcare photonics ecosystem.
