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The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the University of Bordeaux

Last update Wednesday 05 May 2021

The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) has enjoyed a strong and productive relationship with the University of Bordeaux (UBx) since 2010. As UBx is one of the top institutions in France in nanomaterials research with a similar focus and vision to WIN, our two institutes are natural partners in nanoscience and nanotechnology discovery and applications.  

Under the structure of the Erasmus Mundus International Doctoral School in Functional Materials (IDS-FunMat), the research and academic partnership had an auspicious start, with numerous joint research projects and co-tutelle students, supported by national or regional scholarships and industry funding. The IDS-FunMat program accepted its first students in 2010, and by its completion in 2018, 13 PhD students had graduated with dual degrees from UBx and the University of Waterloo (UW) in nanotechnology.

The research cooperation between both institutions extended beyond the IDS-FunMat program as well. Three bi-lateral workshops were held for discovery follow-up and development, kick-starting new projects and strengthening the UBx-WIN collaborative effort:

  1. The first workshop was held in May 2010 at Waterloo with over 50 participants from UBx, UW and several representatives from local industries, catalysing many new relationships across the full spectrum of functional materials research, education and innovation.

  2. May 2012 brought a delegation of WIN members to Bordeaux for the Second Reciprocal WIN-UBx workshop, to capitalize on the momentum of the first workshop and bring the relationship to the next level of collaboration and training. 

  3. The third workshop in May 2014 brought UBx researchers once again to Waterloo to showcase ISDSFunMat students’ success and allow an opportunity to expand the relationship to scientific fields other than nanotechnology (i.e.: biotechnology, energy, water, aging and critical materials).  

In 2014, a specialized University of Waterloo seed grant, the International Research Partnerships Grant Program (IRPG), was awarded to a joint WIN-Bordeaux research project to strengthen, and broaden the existing relationship in teaching and research. This resulted in several WIN members receiving grants, including Jean Duhamel, Lan Wei, and Pavle Radovanovic in 2015, Eric Prouzet in 2016, and Graham Murphy and Hamed Majedi in 2017. Irene Goldthorpe received this award three years in a row from 2015-2018. 

In total, these activities have produced over 50 publications in scientific journals, resulting in an internationally competitive research partnership in nanotechnology and advanced materials.  

In March 2019, WIN’s executive director was invited to Bordeaux to attend the closing ceremonies of the IDS-FunMat program, along with colleague and 2018 Nobel Prize winner Professor Donna Strickland. The achievements of the program and the exceptional work of the doctoral students were acknowledged and celebrated, and plans for future partnerships in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were discussed.