The Institute for Basic Science (IBS, President NOH Do Young) recently held a plaque unveiling ceremony to commemorate the establishment of the IBS Liaison Office and the Global Joint Research Hub at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Medical Research (Director Joachim SPATZ) in Germany. These facilities aim to strengthen collaborative research and mutual exchange.

The ceremony took place on November 28 at the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany. It was attended by MPI Director Joachim SPATZ, Deputy Director Ilme SCHLICHTING, and Christian HAUPT, head of Asian collaborations at the Max Planck Society (MPG, led by President Patrick CRMAER). Representing IBS were SHIM Shi Bo, Head of the Office of Global Relation & Communications; KANG Dong Woo, Head of the Office of Strategy and Policy; and LEE Jung-Wook, Research Professor at the IBS Center for Nanomedicine (Yonsei University).

IBS and the Max Planck Society formalized a strategic partnership this year to advance world-class collaborative research. In April, IBS, the Max Planck Society, and Yonsei University jointly hosted the Global Science Leader Forum, declaring their commitment to strengthening international cooperation. Specifically, the IBS Center for Nanomedicine at Yonsei University and the MPI for Medical Research in Heidelberg have agreed to establish a collaborative research framework to consolidate their expertise in nanomedicine.

The two groups will initially use the "Global Hub" platform to facilitate regular researcher visits and exchanges. With the unveiling of the "Global Joint Research Hub and IBS Liaison Office," the MPI for Medical Research will provide workspace for both researchers from the IBS Center for Nanomedicine and IBS headquarters collaboration staff.

The Heidelberg liaison office is expected to serve as a bridgehead for continuous joint research and collaboration. Building on active exchange, the two groups are planning to establish an IBS-Max Planck Center, which will feature a co-funding mechanism and joint principal investigator system to support a variety of substantive collaborative research activities.

Following the Global Science Leader Forum, the Max Planck Society, which oversees more than 80 Max Planck Institutes, decided to invest in international research centers in Asia. The selection process for a center in the nanomedicine field is currently underway. If officially approved after February next year, the Max Planck Society and IBS will jointly support the center with matching research funds.

Joachim SPATZ, Director of the MPI for Medical Research, stated, "This plaque unveiling ceremony highlights the rapid development of the collaboration between Max Planck, IBS, and Yonsei University. We look forward to further partnerships and joint research efforts."

NOH Do Young, President of IBS, added, "Strengthening our partnership with Max Planck will contribute to advancing basic science globally and fostering future research leaders."

IBS Public Relations Team
William I. Suh