History
ASP was founded in 2008 in public private partnership by the German federal and Thuringian state goverments, the University of Jena and the German photonics industry.
Since then, these partners together with the European Union have provided basic funding necessary to support the School's financial needs.
Education
The Master's degree and doctoral programs are based upon the profound experience in optics education distinguishing the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU Jena).
The university has identified optics and photonics as one of its key profile fields in education and research. ASP's education programs are embedded in a modern research environment belonging to the Abbe Center of Photonics (ACP).
This interfaculty center of the FSU Jena maintains strong bonds with local research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, the Institute of Photonic Technology, the Helmholtz Institute Jena and a number of prominent industrial partners.
Research
In addition to their academic duties and commitments, ACP principal scientists and ASP lecturers share cross-affiliations with a number of non-university, associated research institutes in Jena:
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF)
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT)
- Helmholtz Institute Jena (HIJ)
Career
A key factor of the program is ASP's close collaboration with industrial partners. To sustain our partners' exceptional economic development in the future, the availability of a substantial number of highly qualified employees will be required. ASP graduates are those potential candidates, well-prepared for the German photonics industry.