Dear readers,

It is time for Fotonika again and it is worthwhile coming to Moscow. The economic crisis has severely affected us and our customers. It will still be speculated about the causes of the crisis for a long time. In my view the crisis also offers chances. The banks now could, for example, contribute to offer cheap loans so that our customers could buy the best technologies. I refer to technologies which are environmentally friendly because they are efficient and save material. Furthermore, I think of technologies, which help to better understand the life of cells as well as technologies which make life more liveable, because they help to detect diseases in due time and to develop customized drugs. Photonics is the key because it can realize all these improvements.

During the time of the crisis, German companies especially rely on research and development. They will be strengthened when they emerge the crisis. In this context the excellent research groups in Russia certainly support this development. Therefore, a visit to the Fotonika in Moscow is worthwhile in these days.

I hope that we will continually have sage and foresighted politicians and employers who will recognize the potential of innovation for the sustainability of our countries. Then, photonics will have a good chance of success in Russia.

Holger Junge,
VDI Technologiezentrum, Project executing organisation
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research