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About UTFORSK 2024

Photonics Research Initiatives

UTFORSK 2024: Photonics4Life

Educating interdisciplinary researchers to help solve societal challenges in life sciences

Summary

Photonics is the science of generating, controlling, and detecting light and harnessing the information for transmission, imaging, and sensing. It is recognized by the EU as a key enabling technology with transformative potential in healthcare and life sciences.

Despite its growing impact, a gap in higher education between photonics experts and life scientists limits effective translation to clinical applications. Photonics4Life addresses this by fostering interdisciplinary and international collaboration across physics, engineering, biotechnology, AI, and medicine, combined with innovation and commercialization pathways.

Focusing on cancer screening, infertility, and antimicrobial resistance, the project connects partners in Norway, India, and the USA to provide both virtual and physical platforms for cross-disciplinary training and student mobility.

The project will establish Photonics4Life platform (real & virtual) through collaborative higher education and interdisciplinary training from physics, engineering, and biotechnology background by exposing them with the challenges and opportunities within targeted clinical applications by setting up close cooperation with 2 hospitals in India and Norway.

It strengthens higher education through collaborative programs and contributes to the new two-year Master in Photonics and Nanotechnology at UiT, while benefiting students in related biomedical and biotechnology programs.

The scope of the project includes:

Funding source: HK-dir

Institutes, PIs and partners

Sl. Country Institute PI / Partners
1 Norway UiT The Arctic University of Norway Prof. Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia (PI)
2 India Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Prof. Dalip Singh Mehta (PI)
3 US Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof. Peter So
4 India All India Institute of Medical Science Dr. Deepika Mishra
5 Norway SINTEF AS Dr. Firehun Tsige Dullo
6 Norway Universitetssykehuset Nord-Norge Hf Dr. Mona Nystad
7 Norway Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Prof. Rafi Ahmad
8 India Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Prof. Renu John

Key Activities

  1. Establishing the Photonics4Life Virtual Center to jointly train and co-supervise students across institutions.
  2. Arranging student mobility and providing access to world-class research and clinical infrastructure.
  3. Developing new interdisciplinary courses while strengthening existing ones.
  4. Conducting summer schools and winter workshops at five different locations.
  5. Organizing 17 international student mobilities to bridge educational gaps between disciplines. Students will gain hands-on experience at state-of-the-art facilities and through specialized training events focused on niche topics that connect key fields.

The project places strong emphasis on innovation and the translation of research solutions into societal impact.