Associated Research Partners
ACP principal scientists and ASP lecturers take on responsibilities at a number of non-university, associated research institutes in Jena, which work hand in hand with ASP for student internships and theses.
Control room of the high-power laser system POLARIS.
Associated research institutes
Our students regularly take advantage of opportunities to complete their internships and Master’s theses at local, non-university research institutes.
To support this, ASP maintains a wide range of project- and person-oriented collaborations, particularly with non-university photonics institutes as well as with the emerging Deutsches Optisches Museum, all of which are located in Jena.
These key strategic partnerships have fostered a dynamic exchange of people, ideas, and research results. In some cases, they have led to new intellectual property, photonic system prototypes, or even spin-off companies. This evolving hub is one of the defining features that makes Jena an internationally unique ecosystem for photonics and quantum science. In particular, ASP provides fertile ground for graduates who choose to continue their professional careers with our partner institutions.
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF)
Fraunhofer IOFInstitut
Image: Fraunhofer IOFThe Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering (IOF) in Jena conducts application-oriented research in photonics, focusing on the generation, manipulation, and application of light. As a leading research partner, the institute develops innovative optical systems and tailored solutions for industry and science. Fraunhofer IOF covers the entire photonic innovation chain, including optical and mechanical system design, micro- and nanostructured optics, precision components, functional surfaces and coatings, laser and fiber technologies, imaging and sensor systems, and emerging fields such as optical quantum technologies. Its capabilities span the full process chain —from design and fabrication to system integration and comprehensive characterization—allowing for both complete solutions and individual process steps.
The institute supports partners from initial inquiry through to market launch, aligning research and development with current market needs and ensuring effective technology transfer through personnel qualification and collaborative innovation. In addition to contract research, Fraunhofer IOF offers specialized services such as ultra-precision machining, functional coatings, and high-speed 3D measurement.
Through initiatives such as the Digital Innovation Hub Photonics (DIHP) and its integration within Jena’s Leistungszentrum Photonik, Fraunhofer IOF plays a central role in technology transfer, startup formation, and the advancement of Jena as an internationally unique photonics and quantum ecosystem.
Link to the Fraunhofer Institute for Optics and Precision Engineering JenaExternal link
Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT)
Leibniz IPHT
Image: Leibniz IPHTThe Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena develops light-based technologies to address key challenges in medicine, health, the environment, and security. Guided by the vision “Photonics for Life”, the institute focuses on faster, more precise, and less invasive diagnostics, as well as advanced analysis of food, water, and environmental samples.
Research at Leibniz IPHT is structured around the three closely connected program areas Biophotonics, Fiber Optics, and Photonic Detection. These activities build on core technologies such as fiber and micro-/nanotechnology, systems engineering, and data-driven methods including artificial intelligence.
In collaboration with partners from research, industry, and medicine, Leibniz IPHT covers the full innovation chain—from fundamental research to application-ready instruments—following the principle “From Ideas to Instruments.” State-of-the-art infrastructure, including optical fiber production facilities and clean-room environments, enables the development of highly sensitive photonic systems and supports effective technology transfer.
Link to the Leibniz Institute of Photonic TechnologyExternal link
Helmholtz Institute Jena (HIJ)
Helmholtzs Institute Jena
Image: Helmholtzs Institute JenaThe Helmholtz Institute Jena (HI Jena) is an outstation of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, located on the campus of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Additional partners within the Helmholtz Association are the research centers Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg and the Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The institute’s research is focused on the borderline between conventional accelerator technolgy and the rapidly developing field of laser-driven particle and photon sources. HI Jena provides important contributions to current and future large-scale research facilities, such as the FAIR project at the Helmholtzzentrum GSI, and the FEL photon sources FLASH and XFEL at DESY. Moreover, it effectively strengthens Jena’s research profile by facilitating new areas of research and significantly stimulating cooperation between the participating Helmholtz Centers and ACP principal scientists.
Deutsches Optisches Museum (D.O.M.)
German Optical Museum
Image: Deutsches optisches Museum (D.O.M.)In a public-private-partnership the foundation Deutsches Optisches Museum (D.O.M.) is entirely redesigning all parts of the former museum of optics in Jena, transforming it into a research facility. On a publicly accessible area of about 2,500 m² in the city center of Jena, there will open a new and highly interactive permanent exhibition on optics & photonics in 2028. The narrative of D.O.M.’s exhibition is based on the holistic combination of three elements:
- (1) live optical experiments, allowing the visitors to grasp the basic optical and photonic effects by personal interaction.
- (2) presenting historic optical devices and instruments that were designed based on those effects, while putting the equipment in the context of its application.
- And eventually (3) the showcase of optics research – providing a unified platform for young researchers from ACP, MPSP, and ASP to have a very visible public outreach of their latest publications.
All this is based on D.O.M.’s outstanding collection of historic optical equipment, the world’s largest archive of optical glasses, numerous antique and still working microscopes with thousands of historic objectives, many thousands of historical spectacle lenses since the middle ages, and the largest collection of grey literature on optical instruments. Research at D.O.M. is focused on the understanding of the application of optics. While revisiting historic experiments by combining antique optics with latest (imaging) technology, limitations of the past are revealed, providing impulses for new and innovative solutions to today’s tasks. In this context, D.O.M. always puts emphasis on the connection with the present. The work therefore considers both, the contribution to improving our standard of living and the gain in knowledge via the physical laws of optics.
Link to the Deutsches Optisches Museum (D.O.M.)External link