November 9, 2008, Directors of the Institute for Coastal Research (IfK)GKSS, Professor Franciscus COLIJN and Professor Hans von STORCH visited YIC.

 As a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the largest scientific organization in the country, GKSS is engaged in long-term activities in the fields of materials and coastal research that are making a major contribution to resolving the large and pressing issues facing society and the scientific and business worlds. The Institute for Coastal Research (IfK) was formed in 2001. It is divided into two distinct sections, "System Analysis and Modeling" and "Development of Operational Systems".Research activities span both the natural and human dimensions of coastal dynamics, analysing the coastal system in global and regional contexts, conducting assessments of the state and sensitivity of the coastal system to natural and human influences, and developing scenarios of future coastal options.

 Prof. Franciscus COLIJN is an well-known expert on the issue of coastal zone, and responsible for a number of projects about coastal zone management in Europe; Prof. Hans von STORCH is mainly engaged in climate research, focusing on coastal zone climate (such as wind, storm surges and tidal) in the near future and the future changes and impacts, as well as statistical meteorology research.

 November 10, 2008, Prof. Franciscus COLIJN and Prof. Hans von STORCH held a symposium with researchers from YIC. They separately introduced the scientific research progress of GKSS Institute Coastal Zone Research Center, both sides exchanged ideas on interested content.

 During the visit, YIC and GKSS Institute Coastal Zone Research Center signed a bilateral cooperation memorandum.