Developing a better understanding of friction is a significant scientific challenge with important practical applications. Through the proposed collaboration we will establish a collaboration between two research groups with complementary skills both work ing on friction: a group in Lyon, France, specialized in experimental studies, and group in Oslo, Norway, focusing on theoretical and numer-ical studies. For both groups, a collaboration with the other group is important for scientific pro-gress, and the collaboration is expected to form the basis for future common research applications and student exchange programs. This project focuses on the exchange of young researchers, build-ing close ties between Norwegian and French research groups