image: Spatial intensity of a vortex beam generated from a multimode fiber and showing the characteristic X-pattern after a tilted-lens.
Credit: Jiaqi Li, Tampere University
A new Doctoral Network coordinated by Tampere University has secured €4.4 million in funding from the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme. The High-Power Optical Vortices (HiPOVor) project will train 15 doctoral researchers in the generation, amplification and application of high-power optical vortex beams. The consortium has set an ambitious goal: to establish optical vortex beams as a key enabling technology for advanced light-matter interaction.
Optical vortices – light beams carrying orbital angular momentum – open up unique possibilities for ultra-precise material processing, particle acceleration, high-capacity communication and next-generation photonic technologies. However, the widespread adoption of optical vortices has been hindered by the absence of reliable methods to generate and preserve their properties during propagation and interaction with matter.
The HiPOVor MSCA Doctoral Network aims to overcome these challenges through advanced research and intersectoral training. Doctoral researchers will gain expertise across the full innovation chain, from designing components and studying light-matter interactions to advancing high-power amplification and real-world applications.
“Our Doctoral Network is about shaping the next generation of scientists and innovators in photonics,” says Dr. Regina Gumenyuk, Project Coordinator at Tampere University.
According to Gumenyuk, the network will facilitate the development of new products and improved processes – ranging from optical components to nanofabrication – and deliver environmental benefits by promoting a circular economy. In addition, the project aims to reduce the use of harmful chemicals as well as the size and energy consumption of hardware by employing advanced technologies designed to predict high-power vortices.
“High-power optical vortices are not only fascinating from a fundamental perspective but also hold the potential to transform applications from precision manufacturing to high-resolution imaging,” adds Professor Goëry Genty from Tampere University.
The HiPOVor network brings together academic institutions, industry partners and research organisations across Europe to foster collaboration and innovation in photonics.
The project will be officially launched on 1 January 2026. The interdisciplinary and intersectoral consortium consists of eight leading academic institutions specialising in structured light and high-power laser development, the Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) that is the world’s most power laser facility, and nine industrial partners.
MSCA is part of Horizon Europe and serves as the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and the postdoctoral training of researchers.