On September 25th, innoFSPEC research group leader Ziyang Zhang was invited to UPM 2017, the annual joint workshop between Germany and China on "Ultra Precision Manufacturing and free-form optics", where he gave a talk on "Compact spectrometer modules for astronomy, enabled by planar lightwave circuits and micro-optic assembly". Through discussion, complementary research expertise has been identified as opportunities for joint international research projects as well as exchange programs for senior and junior scientists.

The UPM conference 2017 is held in Changchun, co-organized by the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP). This institute was founded in 1952 in China, focusing on luminescence, applied optics, optical engineering, precision mechanics and instrumentation (http://english.ciomp.cas.cn/).