On October 5, 2023, a party of seven from University College London (UCL), including its president Michael Spence, visited Tohoku University to renew the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on academic exchange between the two universities and to further strengthen collaboration. UCL is a strategic partner for Tohoku University, and representing the university at the signing ceremony were President Hideo Ohno, Executive Vice President Takafumi Aoki, and Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki.
President Ohno began by welcoming the visiting party, and spoke about Tohoku University’s selection as a finalist for recognition as a ‘University for International Research Excellence’. He also said that he was confident that the renewal of the MoU would ensure that the university’s relationship with UCL would become even stronger.
President Spence said that he was very happy to be able to visit Tohoku University and to hear that the university would potentially be recognized as a ‘University for International Research Excellence’. With respect to the friendly relationship between the two universities, he spoke about the long history of exchanges between Japan and the United Kingdom and the values that both universities possess that led them to become pioneers in accepting international students. (This year marks the 160th anniversary of UCL hosting the Choshu Five.)
Both presidents said that they hope that the two universities will continue to focus a great deal on interdisciplinary joint research and the development of early-career researchers. They also stated their determination to work together to resolve global issues and to further strengthen their collaborations while maintaining their founding principles of contributing to the community and being engaged with society.
Aside from the signing ceremony, the visitors were also given tours of the Tohoku Medical Megabank, the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, and NanoTerasu, the next-generation synchrotron radiation facility. They met with faculty members at each, with whom they discussed progress on specific exchanges and the outlook regarding possible areas for future cooperation.
Contact:
Global Engagement Coordination Team
Global Engagement Division
Global Affairs Department
Tel: 022-217-6311
Email: kokusai-c*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (please replace the asterisk with an @ mark)