The recently founded SUN-WIN Joint Institute for Nanotechnology, established by Soochow University and the University of Waterloo, had its first major funding success on April 27^th, 2012, with the announcement that the first batch of twelve collaborative projects, each led by principal investigators from Soochow University and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), have been funded. Projects are in key theme areas of nanotechnology such as, “High Efficiency Tandem Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with Nanostructures,” “One Dimensional Silicon/Carbon Nanocomposites as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries,” and “Novel Polymeric Nanostructured Systems for Biomedical and Chemical Applications.”

“This funding is a big step forward for SUN-WIN collaborations,” said Dr Shuit-Tong Lee and Dr Arthur Carty, Directors for the Joint Institute. “It will serve to stimulate and foster exchanges of students and faculty between the two universities, lead to exciting new discoveries in nanotechnology, and ultimately to technological innovations which can be commercialised.”

Financing of almost $1 million in total for the twelve projects came from a fund established by Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and Soochow University.

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity and foresight of the partners in supporting this leading-edge research,” said President Xiulin Zhu of Soochow University and President Feridun Hamdullahpur of the University of Waterloo.