Photonics research and development requires a complex set of expertise (from technology to networking) as well as very expensive equipment, sub-systems and devices. It is evident that such comprehensive facilities cannot be supported by any single institution. Partners in the EURO-FOS consortium have developed over the years a wide range of expertise and laboratory facilities in the fields of photonic components, systems and networks. Between the partners there is a unique and complementary concentration of laboratory resources and skills. The EURO-FOS project developed the concept of a Pan-European Laboratory environment based on facilities already existing among the project partners. The EURO-FOS Pan-European Laboratory environment will enable the sharing of skills, facilities and equipments among the participating laboratories through research exchanges, moving technology and equipment and in some cases through actual interconnection of labs across Europe using high speed GEANT connectivity or cross-border Dark Fibres.

The EURO-FOS Pan-European Laboratory is effectively a Photonics Virtual Laboratory with unprecedented strength, breath of expertise and laboratory facilities. This facility will reinforce Europe's excellence in photonics research and it will help to reinforce Europe's position as the International leader in Photonics. The EURO-FOS Pan-European Laboratory will allow photonic devices and subsystems to be tested under conditions that could involve all the network layers ranging from the physical to the application layers. The Laboratory infrastructure will also enable collaborative experiments at European level. Ultimately, the aim of the Laboratory is the creation of a legal entity with diverse services offered to industry that will give strong potential for the network of excellence to be a self-financed network and a leader in photonic subsystems and systems on a global scale.

The main aim of the EURO-FOS Pan-European Laboratory is to offers a unique environment that facilitates joint research between academic partners and companies using photonic research prototypes as well as the testing of research prototypes and/or commercial photonic components in system environments. This is achieved through the consolidation of the resources of the best photonic system groups, creating economies of scale and synergy in photonics research that links network level and device level research

• To disseminate the existing laboratory infrastructure in terms of functionalities, equipments and software tools within the participating organisations that can be used to support the European photonics industry and research needs.

• To create a European-wide photonics laboratory using the expertise, equipments, facilities and interconnection links available at the participating institutions. Such facility would clearly be beyond the scope of any single institution at European and global level.

• To facilitate a strong laboratory management framework allowing for the maintenance of a checklist of available equipments, inter-laboratory links as well as time scheduling in the participating laboratories.

• To serve European photonics research institutions, industries and regional small to medium enterprises through the provision of a managed virtual experimental facility for photonic technologies, subsystems and systems evaluation.

• To facilitate the creation of associated partnerships with additional research and industrial facilities in Europe.

• To facilitate access of the laboratory to academic photonics groups in new EU member states.