MOU with Max Planck Society renewed
The Croucher Foundation and Max Planck Society have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to underline their commitment to stronger scientific ties between Germany and Hong Kong
The Max Planck Society is Germany’s most successful research organisation. Since its establishment in 1948, 30 Nobel laureates have emerged from the ranks of its scientists, putting it on a par with the best and most prestigious research institutions worldwide.
85 Max Planck Institutes and facilities located mainly in Germany, but also in other countries, work in the service of the general public and conduct basic research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. Max Planck Institutes focus on research fields that are particularly innovative, or that are especially demanding in terms of funding or time requirements.
In 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Croucher Foundation and Max Planck Society to strengthen ties between the scientific communities of Hong Kong and Germany. At the invitation of the Foundation, Professor Dr Martin Stratmann, the President of the Max Planck Society, made the Society’s first official visit to Hong Kong, meeting senior representatives of the scientific community and government.
To provide outstanding young researchers from Germany and Hong Kong with a platform for an international and interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge, we established the Max Planck Croucher Symposium series. Participating researchers established and strengthened connections with their peers and identified new fields for collaboration. Meetings have been held in Hong Kong, Germany and Japan.
Both organisations have dedicated programmes to support outstanding young scientists and researchers at formative career stages. In 2018, we established a jointly funded postdoctoral fellowship, the Max Planck Croucher Fellowship, to enable a small number of exceptionally talented early-career researchers to pursue their goals in basic research.
The Croucher Foundation is very grateful to Professor Stratmann and his colleagues, and especially to Professor Dr Joachim Spatz, Director and Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Medical Sciences, for their wholehearted commitment to this nascent partnership.
In June 2023, to reinforce the commitment of both organisations to their shared vision of enduring and mutually-beneficial links between the scientific communities of Hong Kong and Germany, the Memorandum of Understanding was formally renewed.