The two-day event nurtured hopes for Europe’s return as a leading player

IMAPS 2025 recorded a high level of participation and full satisfaction among the organizers. The two days dedicated to Photonic Packaging featured a succession of top-level presentations that engaged and inspired the many attendees. Numerous questions were addressed to the speakers, along with shared experiences and expectations. The Milan workshop also fostered new relationships and paved the way for potential collaborations, including one between the Politecnico di Milano and the Politecnico di Torino.

Andrea Melloni, Director of the Polifab Micro- and Nanotechnology Center and Professor of Photonic Devices at the Politecnico di Milano, described IMAPS as “an important opportunity for brainstorming and for exchanging views with companies and researchers at the forefront of the field, learning about their vision and plans — something of primary importance for promoting the development and growth of photonics applied to packaging, the final and crucial step in the PICs production chain. I find these workshops,” he continued, “particularly interesting because they bring together highly skilled people who speak the same technical language. Considerable efforts are being made in packaging and testing,” Melloni noted, “and IMAPS clearly showed how these two research areas are increasingly intertwined. It is therefore highly beneficial for this ‘dual community’ to meet to their mutual advantage. Packaging and testing account for 70–80% of device costs and so,” he concluded, “this is the right direction to pursue in the near future.”

Echoing his remarks was Luciano Scaltrito, Full Professor of Electronics in the Department of Applied Science and Technology at the Politecnico di Torino: “A key strength of IMAPS is certainly its ability to promote dialogue and exchange between developments in academia and the industrial world — a bridge that remains the only real key to success and the right path for the future. I have great interest in the topics addressed during the two-day Milan event,” Scaltrito admitted, “because backend technology, interconnection, and packaging for microelectronics are areas to which the Politecnico di Torino has devoted significant and proactive attention over the past five years. Optoelectronics is only one branch of the broader and fascinating field represented by IMAPS. That said,” he continued, “we may not yet be able with our facilities to respond to all the applications discussed at this outstanding event, but many of the technologies we have can interact with the stakeholders present at the meetings. For this reason,” he confirmed, “discussing these topics face-to-face with colleagues was an enormous and concrete advantage.”

“Contact with industry,” Melloni reiterated, supporting his colleague’s position, “is becoming increasingly essential even in our university courses, which we must conclude with several weeks of seminars held by industry representatives. It’s common sense, and the students themselves ask for it. And even though many students prefer attending classes from home after the pandemic,” he clarified, “they still show up in large numbers for these initiatives. Moreover, they ask questions, seek clarification on innovations and market trends, displaying an interest that is in many ways unprecedented and certainly greatly appreciated. For the past three or four years,” Melloni added, “I have been working on photonic computing and programmable photonics, a relatively new field whose industrial applications are becoming increasingly numerous and advantageous. This branch of photonics, in which I personally believe strongly,” he admitted, “connects perfectly with high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, neuromorphic circuits, and quantum technologies. Photonics is proving to be an area of growing interest precisely because of its ability to bring together different disciplines and domains and to set the stage for a future that I see as bright.”

While both experts agreed on the potential of photonics, they also emphasized Europe’s potential in the field, including the need for the continent to reclaim a more prominent role.

“Europe was perhaps the first in the world to conceive photonic pilot lines,” Melloni explained — “open technological infrastructures (indeed very costly) that later inspired the United States and, subsequently, Japan. With PIXEurope, Europe is trying to recover its leadership and, although I am concerned about a widespread inward turn on the topic,” the Polifab director admitted, “I hope that the entire continent — and Italy in particular — will recognise the need to rebuild a sense of unity and pursue shared goals. While it is true that relatively few young people in our country still choose technology-related paths, it is equally true that growing numbers are ready to bet on the future. Armed with a passion that had long been missing, they present themselves as the skilled workforce of spin-offs and startups, or even consider launching their own ventures. This is something,” the professor assured, “we haven’t seen in many years. The willingness of young people to get involved deserves all the respect and support possible.”

“The European Chips Act has pointed the way, but investments are still scarce,” Scaltrito observed. “We must be particularly careful about the direction in which we channel funding. Chips JU — which includes the industrial associations EpoSS, AENEAS, and INSIDE — has chosen to allocate resources mainly to pilot lines dedicated to frontend technology, which are nonetheless proving insufficient. In my view,” Scaltrito stated, “it is of primary importance to carefully evaluate the strengths of European partners and universities. Skills and resources — particularly regarding backend technology — may represent the future of Europe. Events such as IMAPS are of crucial importance in this regard: not only because they foster encounters between the research and industrial worlds, but also because they catalyze student interest. If for us they make it possible to imagine the future, it is the students who will embody the future of Europe.”