Laser World of Photonics India 2013 is supported among others by the Indian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DEITY) and the Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) as well as the Indian Laser Association (ILA) and the Optical Society of India (OSI). This only strengthens the faith in the need to create a common relevant platform for knowledge sharing and building expertise in the Indian photonics sector. Recognising the entrepreneurial ability and appetite of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India that can fuel the spectacular trajectory of growth for the sector, The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) will extend its support to the Indian SMEs to facilitate their participation in this very relevant and educational industry platform.

The application of laser and photonics technology is growing rapidly in India in several key industry sectors like automotive, aerospace, defence, solar, diamond cutting and industrial manufacturing. All of these sectors require precision and less down time. India, along with China, continues to offer the most lucrative opportunities for global manufacturing entities from key sectors. With the entry of such global players in India, world-class technologies, especially in laser applications, have been introduced, resulting in a boost to local laser technologies and the niche industry in general. The laser industry in India is increasing at a rate of 10 to 15 per cent every year.

India has a great potential for the research and development (R&D) of laser technology. However, most of the R&D is done for in-house applications, which is mostly captive and is unavailable to the masses. "A platform like Laser World of Photonics India with government and association support can benefit a large number of core and ancillary industries and their end consumers", said Deputy CEO of MMI India, Mr Bhupinder Singh.

The scope of laser applications is very broad, ranging from large scale metal cutting to nanomaterial processing and other fine surface modifications. A symposium on "Advances in Light Matter Interaction - From Ultra-high Power to Ultrafast to Ultra small", organized by The Optical Society (OSA) on 12 November 2013, will touch upon developments that led to the incorporation of lasers in the diamond industry in India and elsewhere, surface modifications on the nanoscale and other examples.

The symposium will be addressed by national and international experts in the field like Bishnu P Pal, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India, Yehiam Prior, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, David Payne, Southampton University, UK, Ashish Nath, Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur, India, Ajoy Kar, Heriot-Watt University, UK, Eric Mazur, Harvard University, USA and others.

With the support from the Optical Society of India (OSI) and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA will also witness a one day seminar "Laser Applications: Opportunities & Challenges" on 13 November 2013 focusing on telecommunications, biophotonics and other applications of photonics in industries like the automotive and the diamond industry.