In the summer of 2001, Prof. Falk Lederer organized a meeting of about 20 group leaders working on photonics in Germany. They agreed on the need for an organizational structure for the area of photonics with a focus on "linear and nonlinear optics complex structures". The goals were to enable regular information exchange, to increase the visibility of the area and to introduce contact persons for other institutions and the economy. As photonics comprises both basic research and applications, it was decided to connect this area with DPG and to work on strengthening the establishment of photonics as part of modern physics.