SPIE Photonics Europe 2026

Imec

Photonics and A(G)I innovations will enable industry 5.0 & 6.0 in the agrifood sector 
Climate change is one of the greatest and most urgent challenges of our time. If we want to keep the planet livable, greenhouse gas emissions must be net zero by 2050. Food production is responsible for up to a staggering 34% of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, our food production is highly sensitive to climate change and this is already having a major impact on the food system, such as crop failures due to extreme weather conditions. As a result, food security and food sustainability are top of mind. Technology can and will make the difference. The unprecedented convergence of AI, gene editing, DNA synthesis and biotechnology will revolutionize global industry, particularly in the agrifood domain.

This presentation will show how optical sensing in general and photonic integrated circuits in particular are unique and indispensable technologies that provide solutions for farmers, food processing industry and consumers, and will help guide the transition of our food ecosystem to a more secure and sustainable industry. New tools in barns, in greenhouses, in orchards, in protein bioreactors and the accompanying digital twin AI technology will be shown.

Other presentations:

• Han Wang will present on 13 April 2026 • 12:40 - 13:00 on Hybrid Integration of Blue Laser Diodes on SiN Photonic Integrated Circuits by Flip-Chip Bonding 
• Lisa De Jaeger will present on 13 April 2026 • 15:00 - 15:20 on Multi-wavelength heterogeneously integrated lithium niobate on silicon nitride tunable filters and switches. 
• Thomas Leendertse will present an invited paper on 15 April 2026 • 17:45 - 19:30 on Photocatalytic hydrogen generation with donor:acceptor conjugated polymer nanoparticles and their potential use in cancer therapy 
• Jeroen Missinne will present an invited paper on 16 April 2026 • 11:00 - 11:30 on Low-loss single mode polymer waveguides for visible and near-infrared applications
• David Blinder will present an invited paper on 15 April 2026 • 09:00 - 09:30 on Infinite Impulse Response filters for Fresnel diffraction 
• Ashar Noor will present on 14 April 2026 • 09:20 - 09:40 CEST on Multifunctional metasurfaces for polarisation control and beam shaping in AR/VR light engines
• Nele De Moerlooze will present on 13 April 2026 • 12:00 - 12:20 on Modular expanded beam interface for cross-platform optical integration enabled by 3D-printed micro-optics 
• Kizhakkumkara Muhamad will present on 15 April 2026 • 09:50 - 10:10 on Millibit-per-pixel compression of digital holograms from focal stacks

About

Hear research presented at the only cross-disciplinary event highlighting compelling optics and photonics technologies—from digital optics to quantum technologies to optical imaging, sensing, and metrology. Additional topics include THz photonics, 3D printed optics, photonic glasses, photosensitive materials, and biophotonics.