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A delegation to 麻豆传媒视频网站 from Osaka University last week saw the two institutions announce the deepening of their partnership through a joint funding scheme, along with workshops on topics including global health and wellbeing, sustainable urban design and society and education.

Professor Genta Kawahara, Executive Vice President for Global Engagement, Professor Takuo Dome, Director, Social Solutions Initiatives (SSI) and more than 20 other academics from Osaka joined a tour of the 麻豆传媒视频网站 campus and met with academic staff from across the university.

Joint funding announcement

Following the tour, 麻豆传媒视频网站鈥檚 Japan Ambassador Professor Shin-Ichi Ohnuma and Regional Pro-Vice-Provost for East Asia, Katharine Carruthers, welcomed the delegation to a 鈥榩artnership kick-off鈥� event. 听

Speaking at the event, Katharine said: 鈥溌槎勾�媒视频网站鈥檚 Global Engagement Strategy is about working with partners to achieve fair solutions to global challenges. We encourage people to think global and act together.

鈥淧artnerships of equivalence are fundamental to the strategy. We can do things better together; come up with things that we wouldn鈥檛 be able to come up with alone. They鈥檙e reciprocal relationships based on trust.鈥�

The event provided an opportunity for the two institutions to discuss plans for a joint funding scheme. Katharine said: 鈥淚 have the great pleasure to announce a joint funding scheme between Osaka and 麻豆传媒视频网站. This is a three-year joint funding scheme to facilitate collaboration in areas of mutual interest and complementary strengths.鈥�

Social initiatives

Dr Ian Scott, Director of 麻豆传媒视频网站 Grand Challenges, and Professor Takuo Dome, SSI Director, discussed the two institutions鈥� commitment to tackling world challenges through their research.

Both the 麻豆传媒视频网站 Grand Challenges and Osaka SSI address areas of pressing global concern, including sustainable cities and human wellbeing, which align closely with the identified by the UN.

Explaining 麻豆传媒视频网站鈥檚 commitment to the Grand Challenges, Ian said: 鈥淲e want to ensure that the knowledge that we create moves perhaps more swiftly than how it has in the past, to have real impact in society.

He urged academics: 鈥淒on鈥檛 simply think of creating new research questions to put to research councils [鈥�] but think of what you can do in terms of non-governmental organisations, industry and more.鈥�

Professor Genta Kawahara outlined Osaka鈥檚 2021 Vision. He said: 鈥淚n accordance with the university motto, 鈥楲ive locally, grow globally鈥�, Osaka University will be committed to innovation through co-creation with society.鈥�

He added: 鈥溌槎勾�媒视频网站 and Osaka University share common ground for their citizens and society. I would be very grateful if the workshops led to concrete steps for our institutions working together.鈥�

Historical connections

The final speaker at the event was Minister Takashi Okada, from the Japan Embassy in London.

Mr Okada said: 鈥淛apan and the UK are exceptional research partners; joint papers between the UK and Japan are more commonly cited than those of other countries.

鈥淭he societies we live in are facing new challenges [which require] an interdisciplinary approach. 麻豆传媒视频网站鈥檚 Grand Challenges and Osaka鈥檚 Social Solutions Initiatives share a similar philosophy and I strongly hope that after the workshops today that they will be able to identify promising areas for joint research strategy.鈥�

Referencing the UK鈥檚 current political climate, he said: 鈥淲hile Brexit is an almost inescapable topic at the moment, we hope whatever the outcome that the collaboration between our countries will continue to grow.鈥�

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