On May 14, Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki met Mr. George Freeman, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology. Mr. Freeman discussed the Japan-UK Research and Education Network for Knowledge Economy Initiatives (RENKEI) with its co-chairs, EVP Ueki and Dr. Spencer Hazel of the University of Newcastle.
The two co-chairs spoke with Mr. Freeman about the International Science Partnership Fund, a new research fund launched by the British Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. They presented the minister with a statement summarizing the contributions that RENKEI can make in promoting the fund. There followed an in-depth discussion on the importance of research integrity and data security between Japan and the UK in the fields of biomedicine and health, as well as other issues.
Mr. Freeman spoke about the importance of maintaining security and safety when sharing the results of open science, and he said that the ‘trust’ built up by the member universities in consortia such as RENKEI is a necessary feature when forming a basis for these efforts.
The productive meeting came to a close with all parties expecting that RENKEI’s proven track record of achievements will continue.
The visiting party later enjoyed a tour of the Tohoku Medical Megabank.
For more information on RENKEI, please see here.
For an article specifically on Mr. Freeman’s visit to the Tohoku Medical Megabank, please see here. (in Japanese only)
【The two co-chairs present Mr. Freeman with a statement on RENKEI and its activities】
【L-R: Ms. Susannah Kitchens (Deputy Director at the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), Dr. Spencer Hazel, Mr. George Freeman, EVP Toshiya Ueki】
Contact:
Global Engagement Division, Tohoku University
Email: kokusai-k@grp.tohoku.ac.jp