BOSTON, Nov. 10 -- The International Photonics Commercialization Alliance (IPCA), a North American alliance created to provide links between Canadian and American photonic organizations, was launched at the Future of Light: 9th Annual Symposium on Emerging Business Opportunities in Photonics, held today at the Boston University (BU) Photonics Center. Pierre Coulombe, president of the National Research Council Canada; David R. Smith, CEO of the Infotonics Technology Center, a New York Center of Excellence, based in Canandaigua, N.Y.; and Donald Fraser, director of Boston University’s Photonics Center, made the official announcement. "The IPCA underlines NRC's commitment to promoting Canadian industrial innovation," Coulombe said. "Clustering initiatives of this type greatly increase the number of commercial opportunities for firms and contributes to regional economic growth. The alliance will improve time-to-market while minimizing costs of commercializing photonic technology." By creating an expanded international photonics cluster involving Ottawa-Toronto, Rochester-Boston and Montreal-Quebec City, the IPCA intends to link clusters, companies and technology commercialization centers; to provide leadership and support internationally for the commercialization of photonic technologies; to offer members assistance in commercialization; and to cultivate an environment in which entrepreneurs, investors and researchers can exchange ideas. With the support of Canadian consulates in Buffalo, N.Y., and in Boston, Coulombe said, the alliance will open doors for Canadian and American firms that wish to benefit from the expertise and tools of their international partners. IPCA was spearheaded by the NRC’s Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre in an effort to facilitate the commercialization of photonic opportunities and to help strengthen members’ capacity to innovate and compete in today’s global markets. Funding provided by the Canadian government's Enhanced Representation Initiative will support the operations of the alliance. The concept of the alliance was endorsed by the Canadian Photonics Consortium and the Optoelectronic Industry Development Association (OIDA). Current stakeholders of the IPCA are, from Canada: the National Research Council Canada, the Canadian Photonics Consortium, CMC Microsystems, the Canadian Institute for Photonics Innovation, Photonics Research Ontario, Reseau photonique du Quebec, the National Optics Institute, the Ottawa Photonics Cluster and the Ontario Photonics Technology Industry Cluster. US members are the Infotonics Technology Center, the BU Photonics Center, OIDA, the New England Fiberoptic Council, the Photonics Industry Association of New York and the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster. For more information, visit: www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca