From peering into babies’ brains and preventing bowel cancer to spotting killer fruit and veg and tackling superbugs, 2021 saw Matter PR promote a variety of world-leading photonics innovations.

During the year-long campaign for our client Photonics21, we promoted a whole host of exciting, ground-breaking use cases of light technologies that are currently being developed throughout Europe. Focusing on solving societal challenges, we promoted several research activities where optics and photonics are making our lives better in many ways, such as instant diagnosis of major diseases and medical conditions, to making food safe to eat faster, cheaper and more reliable than ever before.

Promoting the Photonics Public Private Partnership as a leader in optics and photonics research and innovation, we devised a series of integrated media campaigns to highlight the human news angles we know are popular with science, technology and innovation publications.

While we battled against a tide of recurring news topics like inflation, new variants, and lockdowns, we netted our client 118 pieces of coverage in various media and generated real impact not only for the European technology platform but also for the consortia developing these next-generation technologies that harness light.

Killer Fruit & Veg – this campaign promoted a new technology that makes food safer by spotting pesticides and bacteria with incredibly sensitive laser light. We helped position the GRACED food technology consortium as an industry leader in monitoring foods for microscopic chemicals and harmful bacteria. It generated 37 pieces of media coverage in publications across China, Africa, and throughout Europe, including Phys Org, EET China, Cordis, Food Safety News, and Horti Daily.

Investment Report – Our advocacy campaign highlighted the phenomenal growth of light technologies in Europe – more than double the rate of global GDP since 2015. We emphasised the solid economic state of European photonics, which is growing at more than double the rate of global GDP. Using the newly published figures by deep technology research group Tematys, our campaign reached EU influencer media such as Science Business and Euractiv – and many different industry titles, such as PIC Magazine, Compound Semi-Conductor, Photonics.com, Novus Light and Electro-Optics.

Spotting Colon Cancer Early – this campaign promoted a new technology that aims to save 80,000 lives lost to colon cancer each year. We promoted the pan-European health consortium, PROSCOPE and their new device that uses photonics to help doctors spot bowel cancer at the earliest possible stage to medical, health, technology and science publications. We managed to secure 18 pieces of coverage in titles such as News Medical, The Engineer, and New Electronics. Media outlets were interested in the news angle of preventing up to 80 thousand deaths and saving €9 billion in reduced healthcare costs.

Tiny Brains –  our campaign for a new technology that uses light to detect the early signs of brain damage in babies helped to position the Tiny Brains consortium as an industry leader in the neuroimaging of infants. It generated an audience of nearly 1.1 million monthly readers with coverage in prolific EU policy title Euractiv, electronics news site Electronic Specifier and led to a full feature article for the project and its coordinator in medical publications such as NS Medical Devices and News Medical.

Thwarting Superbugs – This campaign promoted a brand new microscope that will help scientists discover what makes superbugs that cause pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis so resistant to antibiotics and why they are so deadly. We secured significant coverage in science, health and medical technology publications and raised awareness of a current health crisis gripping healthcare systems worldwide – when germs outperform antibiotics. With 31 pieces of coverage in total, our campaign reached prolific science publications such as the global technology and engineering business development publication, The Engineer, cutting-edge scientific and tech research magazine Silicon Republic and popular EU policy and innovation title Science Business.

Analysing the publications, we had an engagement of around 8.1 million readers from a total possible audience of 83.8 million monthly unique users and an advertising value equivalent of €453,400. While the articles were predominantly European and US-focussed, we managed to secure 19 pieces of coverage in non-English publications, spanning seven different languages.

Are you looking for a specialist science communications and PR agency that covers all aspects of science, technology and engineering? Get in touch with us today. Email info@matterpr.com or telephone on 01865 238 164