On October 16, Dr. Peter Gruss, president of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and former president of Max Planck Society in Germany, visited IBS. The purpose of this visit was to discuss plans for collaboration between IBS and OIST as well as to learn more about IBS by visiting its Research Centers. Dr. Gruss was appointed as a member of the IBS Scientific Advisory Board earlier this year.

In the morning, Dr. Gruss visited the IBS Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems and met with Director Sergej Flach and group leaders. In the afternoon, Dr. Gruss visited the IBS Center for Cognition and Sociality and met with Director SHIN Hee-Sup and principal investigators and then took a tour of the research facilities.

▲ Meeting at Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems.

▲ Meeting at Center for Cognition and Sociality.

After visiting the Research Centers, Dr. Gruss gave a lecture on the current status of OIST, his time leading Max Planck Society, and the importance of investment in basic science. He emphasized that successful basic science institutions require outstanding researchers with full autonomy, flexible and dynamic research units, early independence of young research group leaders, and stable long-term institutional funding.

A meeting between the presidents of IBS and OIST took place after the lecture and Dr. Gruss commented that "Although the history of IBS is very short, I am impressed by its achievements so far and I will be actively involved in the activities of the IBS Scientific Advisory Board."

▲ Lecture by Dr. Gruss.

▲ IBS-OIST Collaboration Meeting.