As Janez Renko of Electronics and Electrical Engineering Association at the Chamber of Commerce (GZS) said, the platform represents a bond between development and research, with a goal to find new long-term opportunities. The platform, established by different companies and research institutes, will focus on the fields of laser technology, optoelectronics, medical devices, communication technology, contemporary electro-optics, quantum electronics and new materials, Renko explained. For Slovenia to remain competitive, new parallel technologies must be developed, Renko stressed, adding that they plan to draw funds from the state budget and partly also from the European structural funds. Photonics is one of the most successful fields in the European and global industry, the GZS believes.