From March 16 to 24, Hirata and Zhang visited several research institutions in Europe.

The first destination of this visit was the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, eastern Germany. This marked our first visit in approximately three months since our previous stay in December. During the visit, we held final discussions toward establishing an interdepartmental international collaboration framework, together with Stefan Makowski and Fabian Haeufig. We also introduced our research, initiated discussions on potential joint research themes, and exchanged ideas on future personnel exchange between IWS researchers and students from our laboratory.

In contrast to the severe winter conditions during our previous visit, Dresden welcomed us this time with mild weather that signaled the arrival of spring. The historic old town, including the Frauenkirche, stood out beautifully against the blue sky, offering a striking view. We also had the opportunity to enjoy a dinner in the Neustadt district, near Pfunds Molkerei, known as the “most beautiful dairy shop in the world,” which provided a valuable occasion to deepen our交流. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Stefan Makowski and Fabian Haeufig for their warm hospitality.

The second destination of our visit was the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Thawhid serves as the UK principal investigator for the JSPS Bilateral Joint Research Project titled “Enhancement of Tribological Performance of EV Transmission Systems Using Functional Three-Dimensional Multilayer Films,” for which Hirata acts as the principal investigator on the Japan side. During this visit, we held an initial meeting with the research members, reviewed the progress of the project, and exchanged views on future research plans.

Following Thawhid’s stay at our laboratory in August and our visit to Sheffield in September, this meeting marked our reunion after approximately six months. During our stay, the city was in full bloom, with cherry blossoms visible throughout Sheffield. From the hill near the station, we were able to enjoy a panoramic view of the city alongside the beautiful blossoms.

The final destination of our visit was the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, having produced numerous distinguished scientists, including Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking. To date, it has been associated with more than 100 Nobel Prize laureates, reflecting its profound academic influence.

The historic campus features many notable landmarks, such as Newton’s Apple Tree and King’s College Chapel, offering a rich sense of the academic tradition cultivated over centuries. During our visit, we had the privilege of meeting Michael De Volder at St John’s College. Prof. De Volder previously served as a specially appointed professor (WRH) at our Institute of Innovative Research until 2024, and we have maintained continuous research collaboration.

Under his guidance, we were given a rare opportunity to tour areas of the college not normally accessible to visitors and to have lunch in the historic dining hall. St John’s College is one of the largest and most prestigious among the 31 colleges of Cambridge, and has produced many prominent scientists, including Paul Dirac.

Following the campus tour, we moved to the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM), where we conducted a laboratory tour, exchanged research presentations, and discussed future collaborative research. In particular, we explored the integration of functional thin films developed in our laboratory into Prof. De Volder’s devices to achieve enhanced performance. These discussions highlighted new research directions that bridge process design and device applications, and proved highly productive.