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Western University’s head of strategic partnerships calls it a watershed moment. Last month, Western welcomed an 18-member delegation from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of Germany’s most research-intensive technical universities, following a new agreement signed last year. The two-day summit has invigorated scientists from both schools eager to pursue international research at a pivotal time. “Governments globally are embracing new connections and Canada is looking to broaden its trade partnerships east and west,” said David Muir, Western’s associate vice-president (innovation & strategic partnerships). “Our research interests align well with KIT’s, and there are so many opportunities to collaborate on important priorities. These partnerships help us drive impact around the world.” Germany is a key European partner in Western’s Global Engagement Plan, which is aimed at strengthening research, expanding student mobility and fostering industrial innovation. Western and KIT signed a memorandum of understanding last fall, opening the door to formal research collaborations. When the KIT delegation arrived on campus this year, interest ran so high that the second day’s events were moved to a larger venue.

International research in corrosion to ensure nuclear waste safety

Visiting KIT researchers have expertise that complements their counterparts at Western, including chemistry professor James Noël. His lab is working to verify the longevity of containers used in one of the most demanding applications – nuclear fuel waste disposal. Research underway at KIT is examining how to safely dispose of the remaining nuclear fuel waste in Germany, as well as other aspects of reactor safety and materials. “The work we do to understand and prevent corrosion can be applied to the safe storage of nuclear fuel waste underground for a million years or so. Our work also applies to nuclear reactors and oil and gas pipelines,” Noël said. Research partnerships with KIT offer a possible pathway into a major European funding ecosystem, Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research program. It channels tens of billions of euros annually into projects addressing specific scientific gaps or industrial needs. Canada became an associate member in 2024, allowing Canadian universities to participate as full partners. “Canada being a signatory to Horizon Europe opens a whole new avenue,” said Penny Pexman, Western’s vice-president (research). “Our immediate goal is to build on our research partnerships. Ideally, they will lead to larger funded collaborations such as Horizon Europe projects,” she said.

Western University President Alan Shepard meets with Thomas Hirth, vice president of transfer and international affairs at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, marking a milestone in a growing research partnership. (Nyren Mo/Western International)

Together, Western and KIT are positioned to assemble the multi-country, multi-institutional networks the program requires for most projects. KIT has a track record with Horizon Europe projects while Western brings complementary infrastructure and research strengths. Noël pointed to Surface Science Western as a unique lab offering expertise for sectors including aerospace, mining and nuclear. “Researchers from KIT were quite interested in Surface Science Western because of its excellent facilities for analyzing the chemical and physical properties of materials at an extremely fine scale. That could support their research into corrosion,” he said.

Germany’s Fraunhofer model inspires industry‑focused research

The visit from the KIT delegation was born of a long-standing collaboration between Western’s Fraunhofer Innovation Platform, located in London’s Advanced Manufacturing Park, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Germany. The two bridge academic research with industrial applications to develop advanced composite materials and manufacturing processes. ICT, headquartered in a small town near KIT, is one of 63 institutes across Germany run by Fraunhofer, Europe’s largest applied research organization. Muir said the integration of universities and industry partners in Germany offers a promising approach to emulate. “Germany has a very advanced model that draws industry partners eager to work with universities,” Muir said. “The flow of students and researchers moving easily between the university, Fraunhofer and industry is a system we can aspire to.”

Science, medicine, engineering and business opportunities for international research

The visit to Western expands the university’s collaboration with KIT well beyond its origins in composites. KIT sent researchers spanning biomedical engineering, bio-robotics, artificial intelligence, thermal management and entrepreneurship. They met Western counterparts across science, medicine, engineering and business. Wind engineering also emerged as another promising area of joint research. Western’s WindEEE Dome, a one-of-a-kind facility for simulating extreme wind events, drew particular interest from KIT’s delegation. “One of their engineering researchers arrived a day early, gave guest lectures and had numerous meetings with our WindEEE team,” Muir said. “Their VP was eager to get inside our tornado simulator. It’s a perfect example of how our unique infrastructure supports joint research.” The WindEEE Dome has a global network of users and is pursuing new collaborations to expand research on natural hazards and structural resilience. It’s also the only non-European participant in the Horizon Europe-funded Engineering Research Infrastructure for European Synergy project, a consortium of 12 labs. Beyond the research overlap, discussions during the visit uncovered KIT’s experience harnessing collaboration between technical and social science researchers. Their expertise could be applied at Western as multidisciplinary teams consider not only the technical aspects of projects such as modular nuclear reactors, but their social, financial and environmental implications. The connections formed at this gathering are reminders that some of the most meaningful conversations can’t be scheduled – they only happen when people are in the same room, Muir said. A follow-up visit is already being planned, with a list of research areas not covered in March flagged for the next round. “To see this one event generate multiple individual research collaborations is truly exciting,” Muir said. “We’re just getting started.” Learn more about how Western is turning curiosity into solutions.