President Houkin participated in the Japan-India Universities Forum

The Japan-India Universities Forum was held at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo) on Monday, January 23, under the theme of “Enhancing Exchanges among Universities and Research Institutions in Japan and India, to figure out solutions for future problems – Cultivating innovative young researchers with an international outlook -” which was hosted by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and President Kiyohiro Houkin participated in the forum from Hokkaido University.

Prior to the forum, President Houkin had meetings individually with Director Subhasis Chaudhuri of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay and Director B. S. Murty of IIT Hyderabad, both of which are the partner institutes of Hokkaido University. During the meetings, discussions were held on the STSI program* that Hokkaido University is implementing with both institutes and the possibility of future research and educational cooperation, and it was agreed that further discussions would be held on how to strengthen future collaborations.

In the plenary session of the first part of the forum, opening remarks were made by JST, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and the Embassy of India in Japan, followed by a commemorative photo, and speeches by representatives from universities in Japan and India were delivered. President Houkin introduced the history and research and education fields of the University, its high evaluation by THE Impact Rankings, an overview of the STSI program including the high level of satisfaction of participating students and their career paths after graduation, and the prospects for future exchange in both research and education with Indian universities through various projects by JST, JICA, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), etc. President Houkin also mentioned the importance of international students from Indian universities to Japan.

The second part of the forum, a roundtable discussion among representatives of participating universities, was a lively exchange of opinions, and the forum ended successfully with the adoption of a declaration on future research and personnel exchanges between Japan and India.

*STSI Program: A program by Hokkaido University, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay and IIT Madras to foster professionals who can contribute to solving various issues related to transportation systems and infrastructure development in India.

URL: https://stsi.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/en/

Meeting between President Houkin and Director Chaudhur, IIT Bombay

Meeting between President Houkin and Director Murty, IIT Hyderabad

Presentation by President Houkin

Text and photos provided by Division of International Relations