International Max-Planck Partnership launched by Scottish universities
Launched on 19 December 2013, the partnership between five Max-Planck Institutes [MPI] in Germany and five Scottish universities is a major boost to the future development of new quantum technologies and fundamental science in Scotland.
The collaboration will lead to the establishment of the world’s first International Max-Planck Partnership [IMPP]. This new model will incorporate leading physics research groups from the universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, St Andrews, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh with the MPI 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.
Professor Jim Hough, Director of the Partnership for the United Kingdom, said: “The ‘Measurement and Observation at the Quantum Limit’ [MOQL] Max-Planck Partnership is the first such collaboration of its kind and reflects the strength of the existing research community and infrastructure within Scotland. It will aim to promote new scientific collaborations at the very highest levels and raise the profile of Scottish Science, attracting some of the world’s leading physicists to our institutions.”
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.
Scottish Government’s Minister for Science Alasdair Allan said about the partnership: “This is another example of the global reputation and strength of research in Scotland and will help further boost our higher education sector. [...] We now invest over £1 billion annually in higher education, some of which – in conjunction with our internationally renowned Research Pools – has been allocated to help deliver this important and exciting research initiative.”
