University of Central Florida (UCF) President John C. Hitt signed a research agreement this week with the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (Fraunhofer ILT), an industrial laser and laser applications laboratory located in Aachen, Germany. The agreement will explore areas of common interest in advanced high-power laser development and laser machining technologies and was instigated by Dr. Martin Richardson through the UCF Townes Laser Institute at the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL).