In 25 years of working in economic development, Eric gained a lot of experience and knowledge in the field of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), internationalisation of SME’s, innovation cooperation and economic development. I have built a strong network in the Netherlands and abroad towards business, government, knowledge institutes and universities.
In his role as CEO of PhotonDelta the challenge is to mature the organisation after a period of rapid growth and to become an internationally recognised accelerator for the photonic chip industry. PhotoDelta plays a key role in making the integrated photonics ecosystem indispensable for the goals and challenges that we face today. Photonic chips will become critical in various applications such as quantum computing, robotics, sustainable agriculture and autonomous driving. PhotonDelta as a Dutch world leading ecosystem will be a driving force to make this happen.
Tell us about your organisation.
PhotonDelta is a non-profit organisation supporting an end-to-end value chain for photonic chips that designs, develops, and manufactures innovative solutions that contribute to a better world. We do so by creating global awareness and promoting the benefits and potential of the Dutch and European photonic chip industry and its technologies. Leveraging funding from the National Growth Fund, alongside strategic investments, we catalyse the acceleration of the photonic chip industry.
What problems are the companies that you work with solving?
The PhotonDelta Ecosystem is an end-to-end value chain for photonic chips that designs, develops, and manufactures innovative solutions that contribute to a better world. The ecosystem is at the very forefront of photonic chip research, pioneering new products and solutions.
What application areas are you seeing the most exciting developments in?
Right now, we see adoption in markets like Datacom to be able to send more data while using less energy (think AI-demand), sensing solutions for healthcare diagnostics, and photonic chips for quantum computing at room temperature.
What keeps businesses in this industry up at night?
Companies in this industry often worry about how to scale fast enough to deliver affordable chips without sacrificing quality or efficiency. That pressure is amplified by the need to secure necessary funding to support expansion. Businesses also struggle with a complex regulatory environment that can slow progress and increase costs. On top of that, finding and retaining the specialized talent required for chip design, engineering, and manufacturing remains a major challenge.
How do companies normally engage with your organisation?
We support an ecosystem of more than 70 startups and scale-ups, where we support them with programmes on Talent, Tech, Funding, and Internationalisation. Via our internationalisation effort, we initiate, guide, and support new partnerships in business development and technology cooperation in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia
What success have companies within your ecosystem seen recently?
Companies across the PhotonDelta ecosystem have seen a wave of meaningful progress recently, reflecting both technological maturity and growing commercial traction. Several startups have advanced from promising R&D into concrete milestones. Recent examples of success include Aluvia Photonics, which secured new funding that will allow the company to expand its aluminium-oxide photonic integrated circuit technology and accelerate collaboration with partners throughout the ecosystem. The photonics specialists at Surfix have been working with leading oncologists at the world-renowned NKI (Netherlands Cancer Institute), to create a photonics-based point-of-care testing platform that’s helping save lives today from hypercortisolism or Addison’s Disease. And in another example, PHIX has partnered with Ligitek, Leverage, and ITRI to develop next-generation high-speed and energy-efficient optical transceivers to address global challenges in data connectivity. This advancement in high-speed optical engines strengthens the Netherlands-Taiwan collaboration and prepares new semiconductor packaging innovations for scalable volume manufacturing.
You can find more success stories here – https://www.photondelta.com/news/
What’s next for the industry?
The industry is heading into a phase of accelerated growth driven by stronger public and private investment, including initiatives like a potential EU Chips Act 2.0. This funding will be key to reducing PIC production costs and simplifying packaging, both essential for wider market adoption. At the same time, photonics technologies are set to expand rapidly in sustainability-focused sectors such as food, health, and energy, where real-world demand is increasing.
To keep pace, companies will need to deepen their capabilities in hybrid integration, quantum-ready technologies, and scalable design tools that streamline development. Equally important is cultivating a global talent pool and strengthening alignment between international ecosystems to avoid fragmentation. Finally, the industry will continue pushing for shared design and manufacturing standards, enabling greater compatibility across sectors and faster time-to-market.
Overall, the next phase will be defined by scaling through investment, better technology platforms, coordinated talent development, and standards that support broad commercial deployment.
Also Read:
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