The Max Planck - University of Ottawa Centre for Extreme and Quantum Photonics provides a platform for close collaboration and scientific exchange between uOttawa and the Max Planck Society. Since 2012 uOttawa and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have been cultivating strong research collaboration with each other through student and staff exchanges, international workshops and collaborative research projects. The success of this collaboration has convinced the Max Planck Society of the value in establishing a Max Planck Centre in 2015 to expand on this solid foundation. In 2019, the Centre was extended for another 5-year period.

The Centre has a broad research portfolio encompassing many topics of current interest in optics and photonics. Particular areas of interest include, but are not limited to, fundamentals and applications of structured light, nano- and biophotonics, the development of optical methods relevant to quantum information and nanoscience, the study of attosecond phenomena, and the fabrication of devices and novel materials for use in classical and quantum optics.

A keystone of the Centre is facilitating the mobility of young researchers, giving them the opportunity to explore the different scientific cultures early on in their professional development. The Centre is supporting various degrees of exchanges, a yearly high-level workshop, numerous scientific meetings and summer internships on either side.