The world’s first International Max-Planck Partnership was launched by five Scottish universities on 19 December.

The multi-million pound partnership, with five prestigious Max-Planck Institutes (MPI) in Germany, is a major boost to the future development of new quantum technologies and fundamental science in Scotland.

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 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 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.

The Centre will specifically support research around the theme of ‘Measurement and Observation at the Quantum Limit’ (MOQL), which has relevance for a variety of hi-tech industry sectors including oil field exploration and quantum computing.

Scotland is already a leading centre for research in quantum technologies and this partnership will complement the country’s existing world-class science and engineering research bases, including the new £10 million Centre for Sensors & Imaging Systems (CENSIS) based at the University of Glasgow, which opens in January 2014, and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics at the University of Strathclyde.

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.

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

Professor Jim Hough, UK Director of the Partnership, said: “The 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. It is our aim that the research taking place within the Partnership will form the groundwork for future translational research to develop emerging technologies for market.”

Minister for Science Alasdair Allan, MSP, said: “It is great news that the world’s first international Max-Planck partnership is being launched by Scottish Universities. This is another example of the global reputation and strength of research in Scotland and will help further boost our higher education sector.

“As a Government, through the Scottish Funding Council, 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.”

Find out more

• Professor Jim Hough: research profile

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For more information please contact Nick Wade, University of Glasgow Media Relations Officer on 01413307126 or at nick.wade@glasgow.ac.uk

Notes for editors:

• The Max Planck Society is Germany's most successful research organization. Since its establishment in 1948, no fewer than 17 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists, putting it on a par with the best and most prestigious research institutions worldwide. The more than 15,000 publications each year in internationally renowned scientific journals are proof of the outstanding research work conducted at Max Planck Institutes – and many of those articles are among the most-cited publications in the relevant field.
• Professor Jim Hough

First published: 19 December 2013