Since its foundation, the Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics has been funded under the German Excellence Initiative that was launched to support world-class research and education at German universities. "The Karlsruhe School of Optics & Photonics was founded in 2006 within the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) under the roof of the International Department of the KIT. Since then, it has proved to be one of the leading research and education institutes in the field of optics & photonics worldwide. KSOP offers a Master and a PhD program in English. The School is situated in Karlsruhe in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, near the French border. The so called Karlsruhe Technology Region is located in the heart of one of Europe’s most productive and innovative industrial regions."