The National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) yesterday announced that the Max Planck Institutes (MPI) is to establish a Center for Complex Phase Materials in Hsinchu to enhance international cooperative research and promote advanced material research.
The MPI is a world leading research organization operated by the Max Planck Society, which is headquartered in Germany.
NSRRC chairman Chen Lih-Juann (陳力俊) told a news conference that the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) and its multidisciplinary experimental facilities in Hsinchu were opened to the academic and scientific communities to conduct advanced research last year, and MPI — an outstanding research organization with 18 scientists that have been awarded the Nobel prize — had invested about 1.5 million euros (US$1.56 million) to establish a submicron soft X-ray spectroscopy beamline experimental station at the TPS.
As one of the brightest synchrotron light sources in the world, TPS occupies a leading position in the international community and has attracted international research groups to perform experiments in Taiwan, he said.
Research teams led by MPI director Tjeng Liu-hao (莊鎏豪) have cooperated with the NSRRC for about 20 years, Chen said, adding that they have also collaborated with researchers from National Chiao Tung University and National Tsing Hua University, publishing many papers in top international journals.
The Center for Complex Phase Materials was first established at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, and starting from this year will be expanded to Taiwan, partnering with the NSRRC and the two universities, NSRRC director Gwo Shangjr (果尚志) said.
Gwo said that 400,000 euros — with Germany and Taiwan each contributing half — would be invested in the center to train scientists and allow researchers to visit other nations to collaborate in studies of superconducting, nano and magnetic materials and other advanced research.
“I want to stress that the budget of the center is to support people,” Tjeng said.
“We would like to see bright young scientists travel to Germany and show that the MPI is a good background for them to do research, and for Taiwan to see that it is important for young students to get international exposure for high-level training, which is a long-term investment in people,” Tjeng said.
Gwo said that if the TPS were an aircraft carrier, its beamlines would be like high-performance aircraft and the Center for Complex Phase Materials would serve to train highly skilled pilots.
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