The Czech Republic is about to present the best of its laser, photonics and space technologies to the world. The prestigious international conference “Photonics & Lasers: Designing the Future Society – Vision 2040” will take place in the Czech Pavilion at the EXPO 2025 World Exhibition in Osaka, Japan, with the Czech Optical Cluster and its partners as the main initiators. The conference will take place on 9-11 September 2025 and will bring together top scientists, technology leaders, innovative companies and public sector representatives from Europe and Asia. Innovative technology solutions will also be presented at the conference by CEITEC BUT and partner start-up CactuX.
EXPO: World platform for presenting the most advanced technologies
The EXPO 2025 World Exhibition takes place from 13 April – 13 October 2025 in Osaka, Japan, and is the world’s most important platform for exhibiting technologies, scientific results and innovations. The Czech Republic’s participation is not only symbolic but also of practical importance – it enables the presentation of Czech research, space projects and industrial potential in a global context and strengthens the Czech Republic’s position as an innovative country capable of delivering solutions for a digital and sustainable future.
The conference “Photonics & Lasers: Designing the Future Society – Vision 2040”
The conference is organized by the Czech Optical Cluster and all partners are involved in its content and implementation. The Czech Optical Cluster and the ELI ERIC research infrastructure are also coordinating the trip with the Czech Pavilion in Osaka.
The main Czech participants
- Research organisations:
- ELI ERIC – European Research Infrastructure for Extreme Laser Technologies
- HiLASE Centre – Institute of Physics of the CAS
- CEITEC BUT – Central European Institute of Technology at the University of Technology
- Institute of Astronomy of the CAS
- Technology companies:
- SQS Fiber optics – optical fibers for space applications
- IQS Nano – manufacturer of advanced optical nanostructures
- CactuX s.r.o. – start-up for X-ray inspection and non-destructive testing
- Rigaku Innovative Technologies Europe – components for X-ray telescopes and spectroscopy
International cooperation: Japanese partners
The conference is co-organised with leading Japanese institutions:
- ILE Osaka (Osaka University)
- KPSI / QST (Kansai Photon Science Institute)
Japanese participants will include representatives from JAXA, University of Tokyo, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, SPring-8, among others. Representatives from industry, startups and a Nobel laureate have also promised to speak.
CEITEC BUT: Research for the future
CEITEC BUT is a modern scientific centre based in Brno, which is engaged in research – both basic and applied – in the field of materials and material sciences. It will participate in the conference as part of the research group Advanced Instrumentation and Methods for Materials Characterization, led by Prof. Jozef Kaiser. Both of its laboratories will be exhibiting:
- X-ray Computational Micro- and Nano-Tomography Laboratory (CTLAB CEITEC), under the leadership of Assoc. Tomáš Zikmund, will present a unique non-destructive method for the inspection of battery cells, which allows visualization of changes after hundreds of charging cycles.
- Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory (LIBS LAB CEITEC), under the leadership of doc. Pavel Pořízka, will present the development of a method of laser-excited plasma spectroscopy for industrial and space applications with emphasis on rapid analysis of elemental composition. The presentation will include applications in geology, which allows on-site analysis of materials, and in astrogeology, which in turn allows the investigation of lunar regolith (the top layer of rock on the Moon) under simulated deep vacuum conditions.
CactuX: From the lab to the world
The Brno-based deep-tech start-up CactuX s.r.o., founded at CEITEC BUT, brings innovations in the field of automated X-ray inspection. Thanks to partnerships with leading global manufacturers, the solutions developed by the company for CT scanning (including motorised manipulators, thermal chambers and calibration tools) and industrial quality control find applications worldwide.
The Brno-based start-up Lightigo s.r.o., also born out of CEITEC BUT, will also present its products at the conference, focusing on laser spectroscopy and the development of advanced analytical solutions for science and industry.
EXPO as a way from Brno to the world
The conference will include inspiring lectures, thematic sessions and panel discussions involving leading Czech and Japanese experts. The event will be complemented by a series of networking activities and business meetings, including the signing of memoranda of cooperation. The programme will include a signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement between CEITEC BUT and Rigaku.
For both CEITEC BUT and CactuX, participation in the conference is a key step leading to the deepening of international cooperation in key sectors such as laser technology, photonics and space research.
“The strategy of our research group at CEITEC BUT is to transfer the developed methods to industry. Participating in EXPO is a big event for us, where we want to introduce our new inspection method to the battery industry and possibly find new challenges and partnerships for further research and development.”
Tomáš Zikmund, Head of the Laboratory of X-ray Computational Micro- and Nano-Tomography at CEITEC BUT
“We have been developing technologies using laser radiation for a long time and we greatly appreciate the cooperation with the Czech Optical Cluster and its members – they are key partners for us in a number of research and innovation projects. Our next steps are also in the field of space applications, which we consider to be extremely promising. We are therefore delighted to be able to present the results of our work to a wider audience and show how cutting-edge research can be applied not only in industry but also in space exploration.”
Pavel Pořízka, Head of the Laboratory of Laser Spectroscopy at CEITEC BUT
“Our main motivation for participating in EXPO 2025 is to raise the profile of the field of X-ray technology, in which we have long been active. We want to show the benefits of technology transfer of applied research results in this area – not only within the Czech Republic, but also on a global scale. Moreover, this year we are focusing intensively on expansion into APAC markets, where we see great potential for the use of our solutions. We believe that sharing know-how, establishing new partnerships and presenting our technologies to a wider professional audience are the keys to further growth.”
Zuzana Stravova, Co-Founder and COO of CactuX
Source
