Lichtgedanken 04

S C HW E R P U N K T 8 Physics at Jena already profits from an excellent global network. Now a new network has been added with the Max Planck School of Photonics. What is so special about it? Science lives from cooperation and com- petition. The Max Planck Society and other non-university institutions, such as the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, have stepped up to develop a unique net- work in the field of graduate education. The idea behind the Max Planck Schools is to link up locations across different regions within Germany. The devel- opment of a joint doctoral programme will be able to attract the best of the best early-career researchers. The focus here is not on the institutions; but rather on the individual people involved—the supervisors of the doctoral work. The School will be supported by winners of the Nobel Prize and Leibniz Prize—re- searchers with a global reputation, who are very active within the scientific com- munity. Thus, outstanding scientists, who are responsible for about a third of all publications within a dedicated area in Germany, are involved in the Max Planck School of Photonics. When they work together, our scientists can have a greater scientific influence in the field of photonics than the previously leading elite institutions like Harvard and Cal- tech. The new network is intended to com­ pete with elite institutions like Har­ vard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the future. How can this vision become reality? In addition to the scientific excellence of the supervising researchers, photonics research in Germany is currently distin- guished by the tight network between academia and industry. This gives us the opportunity to address fundamental questions with our research; but also, to use innovations to get things moving and change the status quo. In addition, requirements for applicants and the application process itself are synchron- ised with the international system and admissions are sent in the early spring (March/April). Who can apply in September 2018? Bachelor students can apply from their fifth semester for the PhD programme with an integrated master programme, as it is international standard. Master students can apply directly for the doc- toral programme. From our experience with the Abbe School of Photonics, we are expecting to receive around 1,000 applications from across the globe and be able to choose the cream of the crop. How many places will be available for the first year? During the pilot phase, 20 students will be accepted per year into the integrated master's programme and around 20 stu- Cooperation and competition The Max Planck School of Photonics with its headquarters in Jena is part of an innovative new national network of excellence, the Max Planck Schools. They represent a new instrument for promoting excellence within Germany. It has been developed under the leadership of the Max Planck Society, together with non-university research institutions, universities and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In this interview, spokes­ person Prof. Dr Andreas Tünnermann explains how it is possible to raise the promotion of early-career researchers up to the global level and to become competitive with elite American institutions. INTERVIEW: AXEL BURCHARDT Prof. Dr Andreas Tünnermann is the Chair of Applied Physics, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering and has recently become spokesperson for the Max Planck School of Photonics. The MPSP was elected for a pilot phase together with two other schools.