Recently, the Zhejiang-Germany Joint Laboratory on Smart Grid Technologies of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) was successfully recognised as a provincial-level international joint laboratory. The Joint Lab was co-established by UNNC and University of Kiel. The two parties have built a long-term scientific cooperative research relationship since 2019.

Based on the advantages and international resources of the two sides, the Joint Lab is committed to carrying out cooperation in scientific research and innovation, talent exchange and training, resource sharing, providing scientific and technological assistance for the sustainable growth of the regional economy and society, contributing to the attainment of peak carbo and carbon-neutral objectives.

The directors of the Joint Lab, Professor Giampaolo Buticchi, Interim Vice Provost for Research and Knowledge Exchange at UNNC, and Professor Marco Liserre, Head of the Chair of Power Electronics at the University of Kiel and Deputy Director of Fraunhofer ISIT, have been engaged in scientific work together for more than 10 years, laying the foundation of several smart grids and power electronics technologies. They have also pioneered the concept of smart transformers for distribution grids and taken it to the maximum heights of engineering. The smart transformers were successfully applied by Scottish Power.

So far, the Joint Lab has cooperated in order to publish more than 50 papers, applied for four international patents, one of which has been granted, received three awards, and carried out two collaborative research projects, one of which has been granted funding of 270,000 Euros by the German Science Foundation.