The third edition of the international "Photonics TALENT" Summer School was held from June 15 to 19 at the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine, in Bordeaux. As part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT, which aims to attract talent to the région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, this new session once again demonstrated the vitality and growing appeal of the photonics sector. 
 

A week at the heart of Extreme Light

Centered on the theme "Extreme Light for Advanced Applications", the Photonics TALENT Summer School once again brought together numerous European Master's and Ph. D. students, who came to explore the frontiers of laser research alongside academic and industrial experts. 

The program for the week featured a dense and varied scientific agenda, as well as key structuring events: lectures, courses, company visits, a poster session, a job fair, and professional workshop punctuated these five intensive days. 

The major new feature of this edition was the collaboration with the CEA, which joined the Summer School's partners. This development further strengthens the scientific and technological relevance of the event, highlighting the high level of excellence of the stakeholders involved.
 

A week dedicated to three key themes:

• Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday : Inertial Confinement Fusion Laser Architectures (CEA, ALPhANOV, LULI, Amplitude, Gen-F, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CNRS, CELIA) 
• Jeudi : High-Intensity Laser Applications: Space, Medical, and Sustainable Development (ALPhANOV, CELIA, International Academy of Astronautics)
• Vendredi : Low-Noise Lasers for Quantum and Space Applications (Naquidis Center, Exail, Toptica)

Throughout the week, participants attended: 
 

The 2026 edition was marked by the presence of Felicie Albert, Director of the Jupiter Laser Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and recipient of numerous awards, including the Katherine Weimer Award from the American Physical Society.

A leading researcher in high-power laser science, she provided a striking perspective on major laser experiments through her talk entitled: "From JLF to NIF: an overview of high-power laser experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory".

Highlights of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine photonics ecosystem 

This third edition once again gave participants the opportunity to discover the photonics industrial ecosystem in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, through several visits to key players in the sector: the Optics and Lasers Technology Center ALPhANOV, as well as three leading industrial companies, Amplitude, Exail, and Toptica. Students registered under the early-bird program also had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of the CELIA (Center for Intense Lasers and Applications). 

Research students also presented their work during the poster session , which took place in two stages: a pitch presentation followed by a poster exhibition. The six-member jury awarded three prizes to the most innovative contributions. 

The job fair, was another key highlight, offering students the opportunity to interact directly with recruiters and explore career prospects in the field. Long-standing project partners were present, as well as the CEA. Femto Easy and Aerodiode, event sponsors, also took part in this day.

Finally, the professional workshop, newly introduced in this third edition, provided participants with concrete tools to prepare their enty into the professional world. It further strengthens the strongly employability-oriented approach that characterizes the Photonics TALENT project. 

A must-attend event for young talents

The diversity of topics covered  - from intertial confinement fusion to lasers for quantum technologies, as well as medical and space applications - illustrates the richness and interdisciplinarity of a rapidly expanding field. This third edition confirms the growing prominence of the Photonics TALENT Summer School as a must-attend event for young talents in the field across Europe, attracted by the quality of the lectures, the diversity of topics presented by experts and a tailor-made program. The week concluded with a networking evening designed to further exchanges between students and professionals.

"I truly enjoyed my experience at this year's Summer School. The lectures were diverse and very interesting, and it was really great to meet people from all these companies. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the links between research and the industrial world in the laser field. It was also an opportunity for me to broaden my perspective on lasers in general" - Summer School participant.

This format, still rare in France, stands out for its combination of scientific training, industrial immersion, and networking opportunities. It is gradually establishing itself as a unique initiative at the national level in the field of photonics. 

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The Nouvelle-Aquitaine Photonics TALENT project is led by ALPhANOV, bringing together members of the consortium comprising the ALPHA-RLH competitive cluster and photonics leaders such as Amplitude Laser, TOPTICA Photonics and Exail.

The aim of the project is to highlight and raise public awareness of the photonics industry, a fast-growing sector offering a wide range of career opportunities.