PHORTIFY representatives at the kickoff meeting 2025 in Brussels.

M.Sc. Photonics & Quantum (PHORTIFY program)

Master students enrolled at either of the PHORTIFY partners in Brussels, Eindhoven, Gent, Jena, Joensuu, Milano or Warsaw have the chance to participate in attractive Master exchanges, industry internships and scholarship programs.
PHORTIFY representatives at the kickoff meeting 2025 in Brussels.
Image: Vrije Universiteit Bruxelles

PHORTIFY: a trans-European Master program at the Universities of Brussels, Eindhoven, Ghent, Jena, Joensuu, Milano and Warzaw. 

Photonics student at a lab training within the EU Phortify project.

Photonics student at a lab training within the EU Phortify project.

Image: Vrije Universiteit Brussels

ASP is a full member of the EU-project PHORTIFY - Photonics education network for next-gen innovation and digital skills excellence for industry and society! PHORTIFY is a Digital Europe Programme action delivered by a consortium of 12 partners coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). The initiative harmonises learning outcomes and quality assurance, enables cross-border mobility, and awards certifications to accelerate Europe’s photonics talent pipeline.

From 2025 until 2029, PHORTIFY will create a shared photonics curriculum across seven Master’s programmes, complemented by industry-co-designed self-standing modules for professionals. Students and researchers will gain access to Europe’s leading laboratories, digital resources, and instructors, while companies benefit from graduates trained on real tools, workflows, and challenges.

Become an ASP student to participate in PHORTIFY!

Research team of the PHORTIFY project consortium in the ACP labs.

Research team of the PHORTIFY project consortium in the ACP labs.

Image: Sven Döring, Leibniz-IPHT

Photonics enables technologies from high-speed communications and medical imaging to advanced manufacturing and AI. With a global market projected to reach €1.4 trillion by 2032, PHORTIFY ensures Europe remains competitive by equipping the next generation with cutting-edge skills. The programme places strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion, offering scholarships, mobility support, and mentorship opportunities for underrepresented groups. A digital library, hybrid learning model with remote and XR-enabled labs, and industry-supervised projects will make top-quality training accessible across borders. 

To become a PHORTIFY Master student, you first have to enroll either in our M.Sc. Photonics or M.Sc. Quantum Science & Technology program. Thus, this is another strong incentive to apply with us for the next intake.

An alternative route into the PHORTIFY program is to enroll in the Photonics Master courses at any of the seven PHORTIFY Universities: 

  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) — Belgium — Coordinator
  • Abbe School of Photonics, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (FSU) — Germany
  • Universiteit Gent (UGent) — Belgium
  • Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) — Italy
  • Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e) — Netherlands
  • Politechnika Warszawska (Warsaw University of Technology, WUT) — Poland
  • Itä-Suomen yliopisto (University of Eastern Finland, UEF) — Finland

These seven Universities are teaming up with five non-university, full PHORTIFY members: 

  • Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) — Italy
  • Active Fiber Systems GmbH (AFS) — Germany
  • Fundació Institut de Ciències Fotòniques (ICFO-CERCA) — Spain
  • Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e.V. (Leibniz-IPHT) — Germany
  • SMART Photonics B.V. — Netherlands

More information on PHORTIFY is available at https://phortify.euExternal link. 

PHORTIFY is funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No. 101226191 (Digital Europe Programme).

European Union Logo

Image: EU