The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science published the Fiscal Year 2016 Phase I, Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on August 17, 2015, for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Under DE-FOA-0001366, whose complete listing of technical topics was released on July 20, DOE seeks applicants for grants directed toward FY16 Phase I projects. Topics for this funding opportunity can be found at //science.energy.gov/sbir/funding-opportunities and include LED and OLED lighting (see topic 7).

More than ten years ago, Osram Opto Semiconductors supplied infrared laser diodes for the first laser sensors in cars. As one of the first suppliers of powerful infrared LEDs (IREDs), Osram has also accompanied the development of camera systems with additional infrared illumination since their inception. Up to now, these optical sensors have been connected to one assistance system each, but from now on they will play an important role in automated driving in combination with other technologies. With the help of the optical sensors, the self-driving car captures its surroundings, and makes decisions using the data it has gathered.

Illumitex and The Pennsylvania State University are pleased to announce an educational partnership that has resulted in more than 400 Illumitex Eclipse ES2 LED grow lights being put into service in multiple greenhouses operated by the storied university's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Wael Ayyoub, Senior Project Manager at the diversified global manufacturing company Emerson, is delighted with the reaction from employees and staff in the company’s two new buildings forming part of its regional headquarters in Dubai. These two and three story buildings in Jebel Ali are a clever combination of natural light, forward-thinking lighting design and a strong environmentally-focused approach. “Something that reflects Emerson as well as being economical, with minimal negative impact on the environment.” says Wael.

Santa Monica Pier hosts one of LA''s favorite summer concert series, the Twilight Concert Series, as well as a host of other events. This year, the Pier boasts a new stage with unique overhead structure; a remarkable work of art illuminated using Elation Professional SixPar 300IP color changers.

Lighting and the installation of lighting controls are a couple of the options building owners turn to in order to reduce energy costs, but meeting today ever-evolving energy codes and regulations can be daunting and appear to be expensive. The NX™ Room Controller integrates automatic and manual control of lighting with the simplicity of plug-in installation and auto-configuration for an affordable way to meet those energy codes and provide intuitive, energy saving lighting controls for a single room or space.

Reuters recently broke Go Scale Capital’s US $1.93 billion loan to acquire Lumileds and former Philips automotive lighting business. The loan will mostly be used to merge with the $2.8 billion financing to acquire 80% of Lumileds shares.

Hong Kong Consumer Council and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSC) found large disparities in energy efficiency and lifetime performances in 10 types of LED bulbs, among these included products from leading lighting brands. Differences in LED bulb efficacy reached 100%, while one sample burned out and lumen depreciation in certain products occurred at 10% mark of the product’s lifetime. A couple other products failed to pass safety tests. Consumers were advised by the council to choose LED products cautiously.

LG Display announced Monday it will be channeling future resources to the development of OLED TVs to stay ahead of Chinese competitors that are catching up rapidly in the LCD sector, reported Associated Press.

The county council has announced that Skanska has been awarded the contract to provide Gloucestershire's LED lighting scheme.

CSR announced that its CSRmesh® technology has been used by SK Telecom to enable the world’s first range of smart LED lightbulbs which also function as Bluetooth® Smart beacons networked together using CSRmesh. The intelligent CSRmesh lighting system will allow an almost unlimited number of smart lightbulbs to be simply controlled and networked together in-store while also enabling location-based special offers and targeted information to smartphone users.

Orion Energy Systems, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient retrofit lighting platforms, today announced the launch of the new High Lumen LED APOLLO Troffer Retrofit and twenty new LED products and luminaires for commercial, industrial, and retail facilities. The High Lumen LED APOLLO Troffer Retrofit is available in 7000 (2x2 and 2x4) and 9000 (2x4) lumen packages, expanding its use to now include broader retail and education applications. As the newest entry in the industry’s first patented LED Troffer Retrofit suite, this product features quick ship and easy installation, attractive design, optimized light delivery, and maintenance-free performance. The High Lumen LED APOLLO Troffer Retrofit is an ideal upgrade for schools, commercial, and retail facilities seeking to replace energy-consuming T8/T12 fluorescent troffer fixtures with high efficiency LED light sources.

Qualcomm announced that its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Global Trading, has completed its acquisition of CSR, a leading fabless provider of end-to-end semiconductor and software solutions for the Internet of Everything (IoE) and automotive segments. The acquisition, which was completed at an enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion ($2.4 billion equity value)*, complements Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.’s (Qualcomm Technologies) current offerings by adding a compelling portfolio of new products, sales channels and a large number of customers in the areas of IoE and automotive – both key growth priorities for Qualcomm Technologies.

Luminis, an established innovator and manufacturer of specification grade lighting solutions today announced performance improvements to its award-winning MayaLED family of exterior luminaires, including increases in efficiency, output and lifetime. The updated MayaLED family has also been expanded with the addition of a pedestrian-scaled bollard.

Griplock® Systems, a market leader in the cable suspension industry since 1992, introduces the thinnest cable suspension system on the market today, Wisp™. “Wisp™ is perfect for the new lightweight LED fixtures now coming to market and any other lightweight artwork, sign or display system. It is dependable, without upstaging what’s truly important – your product,” states Sedge Dienst, Griplock Systems CEO.

LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI®), the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference, returns to Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center in 2017 for its 28th-annual staging May 7—11, according to Jeffrey L. Portman, Sr., vice chairman, president and chief operating officer of LFI managing partner AmericasMart® Atlanta.

“It is only a matter of time before white LEDs using blue LED chips will disappear from the market,” said Shuji Nakamura at a forum on GaN technology in July organized by Nikkei Asian Review. The comment from the inventor of the blue LED chip and Nobel Laureate shocked the industry. Nakamura shares a Nobel Prize in Physics with two Japanese inventors Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano for their invention of the blue LED. Yet, Nakamura’s recent remark completely derails his previous accomplishments. Industry insiders in China try to decode Nakamura’s comments to determine whether it reflects embedded flaws in blue LEDs design, or whether his motive is to promote Soraa’s purple LEDs.

More wearable projects have surfaced on the net as tech-savvy girls try to add LEDs to their wardrobes. Apparently, the cute, innocent Hikaru Skirt is not for everyone, some have started to redesign the tutu skirt. Moreover, many wearables are not designed for daily use, but for special shows or Cosplay conventions. A female designer known as SexyCyborg on Reddit set out to customize her own "adult version of Hikaru Skirt," and later matched the skirt with a pair of sparkling LEDs platform high heels.

Professor Kyung-Cheol Choi and his research team from the School of Electrical Engineering at KAIST have developed fiber-like LEDs, which can be applied in wearable displays. The research findings were published online in the July 14th issue of Advanced Electronic Materials.

Previous rumors surrounding Apple’s sapphire usage were focused on whether iPhones would be equipped with sapphire screens in the future, but new reports claim the company has received a new sapphire antenna patent.

Scotland could save millions of pounds per year by upgrading to LED streetlights, according to statistics compiled by Scottish Future Trust.

The report "Smart Lighting Market by Connectivity Technologies (Wired & Wireless), End Users, by Lighting Types (Fluorescent Lighting, LED Lamps, & Others), by Components (Control & Communication, Luminaries & Fixtures), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, the total Smart Lighting Market is expected to reach USD 8.14 Billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 22.07% between 2015 and 2020.

Torbay Council has partnered with GE Lighting to deliver significant financial and energy savings as part of a major refurbishment of the street lighting assets on its main roads. Torbay Council considered that GE Lighting's tender submission provided the best solution in terms of cost, performance and service delivery to suit its requirements.

Leyard Optoelectronic, a leading worldwide provider of LED display products and ancillary systems, and Planar Systems, a global leader in display and digital signage technology, announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement, pursuant to which a U.S. affiliate of Leyard will acquire all of the common stock of Planar for a purchase price of US $6.58 per share. The merger values Planar’s equity at approximately $156.8 million on a fully diluted basis. The transaction is subject to specified closing conditions, including approval by the shareholders of both Planar and Leyard, and antitrust and other government clearance.

A year on from the launch of the BMW M4 Coupe, BMW M Division is presenting an initial preview of a high-performance model for use on the road and, above all, on the race track: the BMW Concept M4 GTS.

The new “Brilliant Color” LED is especially designed for shop lighting applications as it features a high color quality which is very similar to that of high intensity discharge lamps (HID). This enables rich and saturated colors and provides a high quality of white. The high-tech company also launches product versions with an increased efficacy of up to 15%, depending on the LED type. The performance improvement refers to all Soleriq S 19 LEDs with CRIs of 70, 80 and 90. The new versions of the CoB family (Chip-on-Board) will be introduced step-by-step from mid of August till the end of the year.

FC Bayern Munich is kicking off the new season in spectacular style: Philips, the global leader in lighting, and the German soccer champions presented a new LED façade lighting at the Allianz Arena for the first time on Wednesday. The entire innovative Philips system can be controlled digitally and is capable of reproducing 16 million colors. This makes Allianz Arena, the 'Star of the South', Europe's largest and Germany's first stadium to feature a dynamic lighting moods across its entire facade. More than 300,000 LED lights – over an impressive surface area of 26,000 square meters − make the stadium façade’s inflatable  outer membrane  shine brilliantly. Compared to the previous system, the new technology saves more than 60 percent on electricity and approximately 362 tons of CO2 per year.

NASA astronauts take a bite out of space grown veggies sprouted from LED grow lights. IKEA to swap all lighting products with LEDs starting from September 2015. Security experts find a way to hack into ZigBee wireless connected products, even smart LED lights can be compromised. Cree reports losses in 2Q15, due to company restructure efforts.

According to the data compiled by NPD, U.S. watch sales fell to a seven-year low in June 2015. Retailers sold $375 million timepieces during June, 11% less than one year ago. It is the worst decline since 2008, unit sales dropped 14 %. Release of the Apple Watch has impacted the timepiece industry and resulted in the recent decline.

Global LED chip demand and supply condition is gradually reaching an equilibrium, and easing the industry’s oversupply situation, according to a Qianjia.com report that quoted an electronic component industry report by UBS. Lighting is becoming one of the major application sectors in the LED industry, and China’s LED supply chain is expected to benefit from these changes. LED chip manufacturers are expected to benefit the most in the future.