Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt, member of board of directors from Juelich Research Center visited Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology on May 29, 2013. He was welcomed by Prof. Mianheng Jiang, director of Shanghai Branch, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-Shanghai), Prof. Xi Wang, director general of Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT, CAS) and Prof. Yuihui Yu, vice director of SIMIT. Prof. Xiaoming XIE, vice dean of the State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics (SKLFM, SIMIT), Mr. Huang Yi, responsible for international affairs in SIMIT, participated in the meeting.

Prof. Xi Wang gave a general overview of SIMIT and updated the current status of cooperation between SIMIT and Juelich Research Center. Prof. Mianheng Jiang issued an hononary professorship certificate to Prof. Schmidt. Besides highly evaluating the fuitful cooperation, they have discussed and reached preliminary agreement regarding the continuation of cooperation in the field of superconductivity and on how to integrate current on-going cooperations between SIMIT-PGI-8 and SIMIT-PGI-9. Further discussions are to be made during the steering committe meeting of the joint research laboratory, scheduled in the second half of this year. After the meeting, Prof. Schmidt gave a lecture on „Basic physics at new infrastructures.

The cooperation was initiated in 2006 by Prof. Xiaoming XIE from the State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, SIMIT, CAS and Prof. Yi. Zhang from PGI-8, Juelich Research Center in the field of superconductivity. In may 2007, Prof. Mianheng Jiang, president of CAS-Shanghai and Prof. A. Bachem, director of Juelich Research Center had meeting at SIMIT, both expressed clear interests to strengthen the cooperation, and suggested, from strategic point of view, that both sides shall promote the cooperation via mutual visits, workshops etc. The cooperation was strongly supported by the formal director of SIMIT, Prof. Songlin Feng, current SIMIT director, Prof. Xi Wang, vice director, Prof. Yuehui Yu, and many other leaders of SIMIT. In may 2010, CAS-Shanghai signed the master cooperation agreement with Juelich Research Center. The first joint research laboratory „Joint research laboratory on superconductivity and bioelectronics“ was established in may 2011. In 2013, SIMIT became the full overseas member of the virtual institute on topological insulators, sponsored by Helmholtz Association, in which PGI-9 is taking charge. SIMIT representative participated in the kickoff meeting of the virtual institute in Feb. 2013, held in Germany. In the same year, a strategic cooperation project, the joint research group project on „Development of graphene FET array and its application in the study of neuronal networks“ was approved by both parties. Up to now, the two partners have organized 4 workshops, jointed educated 9 Ph.D students, among whom 3 stayed at SIMIT, continue working on superconductivity, and 1 received the CAS president award. 24 joint papers were published and 1 international patent was documented. The cooperation, initiated by Prof. Xiaoming XIE from SIMIT and Prof. Yi Zhang from Juelich Research Center contributed to the fast developping of superconducting electronics research in SIMIT, helped in the building our reputation in the international community, and played an important role in the sucessful establishment of the Shanghai Center of Superconductivity, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SC2, CAS). Meanwhile, after many years cultivation, with the strong support from both sides, the small scale point-to-point cooperation on superconductivity has developed into extensive collaboration between the two parties with fuitful results achieved.