In order to expand on their research in the interdisciplinary field of quantum science and to educate excellent young scientists, the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) and the Harvard Quantum Optics Center (HQOC) recently decided to intensify their scientific collaboration with the creation of the Max Planck Harvard Research Center for Quantum Optics (MPHQ). In the framework of this cooperation, research and educational activities take place in fundamental and applied fields of quantum physics.