Aarhus University’s iNANO Centre will serve as a model for a major Chinese research initiative in the university city of Harbin.

In its efforts to become a leading developer of nanomaterials, China has now established a new nanoscience centre in collaboration with Aarhus University. The centre is located at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), one of China’s leading technical universities. The Harbin–Aarhus International Centre of Surfaces and Interfaces (HAISI), as the Chinese have chosen to call the new centre, is in many ways a copy of the iNANO Centre at Aarhus University.
Professor Flemming Besenbacher, director of iNANO in Aarhus, was present when the new Chinese centre was opened. In his speech, he praised the Chinese for investing in a field of scientific development that is significantly future-oriented.
“Nano research will lead to the next major industrial revolution. The Chinese have realised this and have therefore invested huge sums of money in research, talent development and education in this area,” he said.
The Chinese decided to collaborate with Aarhus University because they are particularly enthusiastic about the interdisciplinary and international research culture that has been built up at the iNANO Centre at Aarhus University. The centre has a reputation as one of the absolute strongest ­nanotechnology research centres in the world.
“The way we can particularly help HIT is with building up an interdisciplinary research culture where the traditional disciplines like physics, chemistry, biology and molecular biology interact with engineering and medicine in the best possible way. It’s through this kind of cross-disciplinary research that we can seriously develop intelligent solutions to the major challenges in areas such as materials, energy, food and health,” said Professor Besenbacher in his speech.
In conjunction with the opening of HAISI, Professor Besenbacher was awarded an honorary doctorate by HIT, and he signed an agreement on educational collaboration between Aarhus University and HIT on the same occasion. The agreement will make it easier for exchange students – especially PhD students – to study nanoscience at both Aarhus University and HIT.