Profile & History

The cooperation GER-CAN originates from the personal contact between the designated speakers Prof. Klaus Meerholz (GER) and Prof Will Skene (CAN), who was a Humboldt researcher in Cologne in 2010/2011. Since then, several visits of the two PIs, but also other colleages and student exchanges have taken place (see bolow). The involved PIs have strategically prepared for submitting the proposal since ca. 2 years by holding four workshops, two in either country, two for getting to know each other (March & May 2013), two to prepare the actual proposal (October 2013 & May 2014). 

The scientific network is embedded/supported by several bilateral agreements/contracts between the partner universities, signed on the highest administrative level (Führungsebene: rectorates, presidents). In 2008, University of Cologne (UoC) and Université de Montréal (UdeM) signed an MoU, which just recently, in September 2014, was reinforced by signing a strategic partnership contract;  In addition, an MoU between UoC and McGill was signed. On the national level, collaborations between UoC and UB as well as UdeM and McGill have a long-standoing tradition.

Over the past two years, the two speakers have systematically established and deepened their collaboration and have further initiated a network of colleagues at their respective countries and institutions. More sepcifically, there is an ongoing project sponsored by NanoQuebec (Skene/Meerholz) as well as three ongoing DAAD-sponsored cooperations (Schmidt/Perepichka; Sokolowski/Siaj; Mathur/Siaj). Several other bilateral cooperations, supported by echange of HQP on all levels and in both directions are ongoing. These projects form the basis of the research program, which is described in detail here.