The Ecosystem: Lithuania’s laser companies look to the future

24 Sep 2024 | News

Already punching above its weight, Lithuania’s laser sector is looking for new avenues to growth

Lithuania’s laser ecosystem is remarkably strong. Underpinned by an academic centre of excellence at the University of Vilnius, it has grown dramatically over the past two decade to cover  almost the entire value chain. The challenge it faces now remove barriers to further growth, such as workforce shortages, and to enter new markets.

The seed of Lithuania’s laser ecosystem is the Laser Research Centre in the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University. Established in the mid-1980s, it produced its first spin-off company, Light Conversion, in 1994. Others followed, and in time produced spin-offs of their own.

“The ecosystem is still growing. Twenty-five years ago we had around 20 companies, and now we have 60 companies,” said Kristina Ananičienė, executive director of the