Jan 9 2014
The world’s first International Max-Planck Partnership (IMPP) was launched by five Scottish universities on 19th December 2013. The Scottish Universities of Heriot-Watt, Glasgow, Strathclyde, St Andrews and Edinburgh have partnered with the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) Hannover; the MPI for the Science of Light, Erlangen; the MPI for Quantum Optics, Garching; the MPI for Chemical Physics, Dresden; and the MPI for Solid State Physics, Stuttgart.
Supporting 'discovery' science
The initiative will significantly strengthen research links between Scotland and Germany – and enhance Scotland’s reputation as a world leader in fundamental, or ‘discovery’, science that forms the foundations of emerging and future technologies.
The IMPP will specifically support research around the theme of ‘Measurement and Observation at the Quantum Limit’ (MOQL), which has relevance for a variety of new and emerging hi-tech industry sectors including metrology, cyber-security and quantum information processing. IPaQS already has a number of academics with strong research links to these Max Planck Institutes and we envisage many more links developing over the next five years as Partnership evolves.
By facilitating research collaborations and knowledge exchange between leading domestic and international institutes, Scotland is now in a position to establish itself as an international hub for the discovery and exploitation of cutting-edge science and technology – and a magnet for the world’s best researchers in the field.
Funding partners
The IMPP Partnership is supported by funding from the Scottish Funding Council, and a joint grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Science & Technology Facilities Council. The Scottish universities involved will also contribute to the initial funding package of up to £10million over five years.
Source: http://www.hw.ac.uk/