A communications tech firm originally set up in the Netherlands has become the latest to move to Torbay’s £8million tech innovation centre.
EFFECT Photonics, a specialist in photonic integrated circuits, will occupy two units including a modern lab and an office at the Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC), in Paignton's White Rock Business Park.
It is expected that new jobs will be created within EPIC, this being in addition to the recruitment drive that is currently underway in EFFECT’s other sites, including Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, and Taiwan.
EFFECT, originally conceived in 2009, has grown significantly in the past two years creating new highly-skilled jobs in Torbay, having been based in Brixham.
It is expected that this trend will continue during the coming months with the business developing new optical transceiver technologies that will be used in applications such as 5G mobile networks.
Photonics is the branch of technology concerned with the properties and transmission of photons, for example in fibre optics.
EFFECT Photonics aims to shape the future of photonics by interconnecting humanity through “fast, affordable, sustainable, and effective” communication technologies.
The firm has ambitions to be a global market leader in optical transceivers and its website said there are more than 100million markets that it can target.
Andrew Stimson, EFFECT’s lead on the move to EPIC, said: “EFFECT Photonics has some exciting growth plans and we saw EPIC as the logical venue to support our development.
“EPIC presents the ideal environment to develop the manufacturing technology required to serve our next generation of products.
“We are excited about the collaboration opportunities and benefiting from the expertise of existing and future EPIC tenants.”
EPIC tenants have access to more than £1.5million worth of prototyping equipment in addition to a classified cleanroom.
Despite the uncertainty during recent months, with the coronavirus pandemic gripping the nation, EPIC has continued to welcome new businesses into the centre.
In addition to EFFECT, this has seen companies such as Bay Photonics and Covert Antenna Systems relocating to the building.
Centre director Wayne Loschi is delighted with the latest move and said: “EPIC has invested heavily in prototyping equipment to support the needs of our local electronics cluster. EFFECT choosing EPIC as a venue to house their new product development activities demonstrates the progress the centre has made.”
“We’re finding that businesses are re-evaluating their current sites and looking at EPIC to move a process or department. This in turn frees up space and parking within their current building, making their set up more effective and efficient. We are in conversation with other high profile businesses about relocating departments into the centre.”
EPIC is a centre of excellence, supporting technological innovation and promoting collaborative activity between businesses and research institutions.
It focuses on supporting high-potential companies and encourages investment into Torbay's microelectronics and photonics sector, and in the wider South West.
EPIC is partly funded by a £3million grant from the Heart of the South West LEP Growth Deal. In addition to this, £1.375million has been secured from the European Regional Development Fund, and £1.1million in Coastal Communities Funding. This funding supports a £2.5milion investment in the centre made by Torbay Council.
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