Three new overseas offices opened

• 
  Signing Ceremony for the Russia Office in Moscow
• 
  Signing Ceremony for the USA Office in Portland
• 
  Signing Ceremony for the Vietnam Office in Hanoi

Hokkaido University opened three new overseas offices in Russia, the USA and Vietnam, following four existing overseas offices in South Korea, China, Finland, Zambia and four liaison offices in China, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Internationalization is one of the main pillars of Hokkaido University’s mid-term goals. The university sees the operation of these offices outside Japan as an important way to strengthen partnerships with foreign institutions and disseminate its academic achievements to the world.

These new offices were established in collaboration with the university’s partner universities. The office in Russia launched this May acts as a Joint Office of M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University and Hokkaido University, and as the Association of Institutions of Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Japan Office, and also serves as a hub for the Study in Japan Global Network Project which is commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan. The North America Office in Portland held its opening ceremony in June at Portland State University, and welcomed Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto of Sapporo City who visited Portland for the 60^th anniversary of their sister city relationship. The office in Hanoi started its operations in July as a Joint Office with the VNU University of Science.

Hokkaido University’s overseas offices provide information on educational and research activities at the university, give application assistance for local students who wish to study at the university, offer support after graduation through alumni association activities, and collaborate with other institutions to expand partnerships. The university believes that these offices will become a useful resource for potential students and research collaborators.