SPIE Endowment Matching Program

Established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics

Sustained support

The SPIE Endowment Matching Program was established in 2019 to increase international capacity in the teaching and research of optics and photonics, and to date has provided nearly $4 million in matching gifts, resulting in more than $10 million in dedicated funds. The SPIE Endowment Matching Program supports optics and photonics education and the future of the industry by contributing a match of up to $500,000 per award to college and university programs with optics and photonics degrees, or with other disciplines allied to the SPIE mission.

An abstract image of a globe, with the words SPIE Endowment Matching Program

Call for proposals

The 2023 SPIE Endowment Matching Program application process is now open! Read below for details on how to apply.

Funding details and requirements

Endowments must be matched one-to-one (or more substantially) with funding secured by the benefitting institution
Funds must be managed by the benefitting institution
Each endowment may be funded up to a maximum of $500,000, per institution, from SPIE funds
SPIE obtains naming rights for the endowed activity
A recipient institution may submit proposals for future funding cycles, but may not exceed the cumulative $500,000 funding maximum

Selection criteria

Institutions must have a recognized optics/photonics degree-granting program, or the equivalent for other disciplines aligned with the SPIE educational mission
The proposing institution must demonstrate the ability and capacity to manage endowments
Proposals must increase institutional capacity, advance knowledge and understanding of optics and photonics, and/or increase synergies with other evolving markets and technical fields

Application process and timeline

Proposals must include a budget, metrics, and recipient selection process. Submit to outreach@spie.org by 30 April 2023.

Please contact outreach@spie.org with any questions. Endowment recipients will be notified in September 2023.

First holder of SPIE Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences at Wyant College of Optics named

Matt Eichenfield, a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), has joined the University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences as the inaugural SPIE Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences. The $2 million endowed position was established with a $500,000 gift from SPIE that was matched by a factor of three with funds donated by Wyant College founding dean James C. Wyant and his family.

An image of Matt Eichenfield, named SPIE Endowed Chair in Optical Sciences

SPIE Graduate Fellowship in Optical Sciences and Engineering

University of Rochester

The SPIE Optics and Photonics Champion Academy

University of Birmingham

An image of Yuankai Kenny, from Vanderbilt's School of Engineering

The SPIE Faculty Fellowship in Optics and Photonics

Vanderbilt School of Engineering

Picture of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls college campus

SPIE/UWRF Optics Summer Research Scholars fund

University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF)

SPIE Early Career Researcher Accelerator Fund in Quantum Photonics

University of Glasgow

The SPIE@ICFO Chair for Diversity in Photonic Sciences

ICFO

Baur-SPIE Endowed Chair in Optics and Photonics at JILA

University of Colorado, Boulder

A picture of three people holding up a large check for $125,000, for the College of Optics and Photonics, The University of Central Florida

Soileau Family-SPIE Optics and Photonics Undergraduate Scholarship Fund

University of Central Florida, College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL)

Four people holding up an oversized check for $325,000, made out to the University of Central Florida, College of Optics and Photonics

SPIE-Glebov Family Optics and Photonics Graduate Scholarship Fund

University of Central Florida, College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL)

Three people holding up an oversize check for $500,000, made out to the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, The University of Arizona

SPIE Chair in Optical Sciences

James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona

Additional SPIE supported programs

IBM-SPIE HBCU Faculty Accelerator Award in Quantum Optics and Photonics

This $100,000 annual award, presented jointly by the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, supports and promotes research and education in quantum optics and photonics within IBM-HBCU Quantum Center member institutions.

SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship

This annual award of $75,000 supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provides opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health.

The SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Fellowship winner from 2022, Ivan Kosik