optical properties in both linear and non-linear regimes. [1][2][3][4] They have also been shown to be capable of hosting single-photon emitters. [5][6][7] Besides the tunability of their bandgap in response to electric fields, [8,9] TMDs' exciton dynamics can be further modified through stacking into van der Waals heterostructures, [10] chemical doping, [11] and application of mechanical strain. [12] These properties are of particular interest in the context of Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) where the goal is to couple a photon-routing structure to elements with strong and tunable optical response. [13] Such circuits find applications in optical communication, [14] computation, [15] and sensing. [16][17][18] Integration of TMDs into photonic waveguides can be readily achieved by direct transfer, taking advantage of the material's van der Waals bonding nature. [19,20] To date, most hybrid systems with an optically coupled 2D material realize placement away from the photonic mode's maximum (off-center placement) or at a dielectric interface, for example, close to an exposed fiber core, [21,22] at the end-faceThe effective integration of 2D materials such as monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) into photonic waveguides and integrated circuits is being intensely pursued due to these materials' strong exciton-based optical response. This work presents a platform where a 2D heterostructure (WS 2 -hBN) is directly integrated into the photonic mode-center of a novel polymer ridge waveguide. Finite-difference time-domain simulations and collection of photoluminescence from the guided mode indicate that this system exhibits significantly improved waveguide-emitter coupling and mode confinement over a previous elastomer platform. This is facilitated by the platform's enhanced refractive-index contrast and a new method for mode-center integration of the coupled TMD. The integration is based on a simple dry-transfer process that is applicable to other 2D materials, and the platform's elastomeric nature is a natural fit to explore strain-tunable hybridphotonic devices. The demonstrated ability of coupling photoluminescence to a polymer waveguide opens up new possibilities for hybrid-photonic systems in a variety of contexts.