CDT PIADS held its fourth annual Conclave on 17-18th of June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast. This conference attracted over 100 attendees – the biggest gathering for CDT PIADS’ extended network to date.

The meeting was vibrant, with representation from existing industry partners and networks, key CDT academics and the CDT cohort as a whole. Prof David Cumming, Head of the James Watt School of Engineering was also present, helping to mark a pivotal turning point in Conclave 2019, as the CDT begins its second lifetime.  CDT PIADS hosted established partners Seagate Technology, CST Global, Causeway Sensors, Eblana Photonics, Technology Scotland, Axenic, Yelo, Andor and IPIC.

Prof Rachel Oliver, University of Cambridge, delivered an exceptional keynote address on the first day, covering her research interests including GaN-based single-photon sources. Prof Paul Townsend, Director of IPIC gave an overview of activity at IPIC on the second day, highlighting future collaborations as a new CDT partner. Additionally, CEO of Technology Scotland, Stephen Taylor chaired an engaging panel discussion session on "Photonics as a Key Enabling Technology", joined by Prof Oliver, CST Global's Adam McKenzie and IPIC's Dr William Whelan-Curtin.

The conference attracted sponsorship from the Seagate Technology who are celebrating 25 years in Springtown, Northern Ireland who were able to present student poster and talk prizes in the form of the latest1TB Seagate external disc drives on the market.