The national and international success of optical technologies “Made in Baden-Württemberg” is due to the major efforts of representatives of the sector in research and development, as well as the presence of a plethora of high-performance and versatile research facilities in the state.

As well as eight Fraunhofer and four Max-Planck Institutes and the famous Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT), numerous institutes and centres at universities and higher education establishments in Baden-Württemberg look at questions associated with photonics.

A range of research facilities in Baden-Württemberg support businesses in optical technologies whose own research capacities are not sufficient to achieve the technical innovations necessary to secure competitive advantage. The Hahn-Schickard Gesellschaft für angewandte Forschung e.V. (Applied Research company) maintains two research institutes in Baden-Württemberg: the Institute for Microstructure technology (IMAT) in Stuttgart and the Institute for Micro and Information Technology (IMIT) in Villingen- Schwenningen. The Institute for Microelectronics in Stuttgart (IMS CHIPS) carries out research closely linked to commercial applications in the fields of silicon technology, user-specific circuitry (ASIC), photolithography and image sensing, and engages in professional development courses. In Ulm the Institute for Laser Technologies in Medicine and Measurement Engineering (ILM) is working on developing new application fields for the laser in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine by means of applications-orientated basic research and applications and equipment development.

There are 64 institutes/centres and departments in the state which cover current questions in the field of optical technologies in their research work and are working on solutions to the challenges of the future.