The 9th HeKKSaGOn Japanese-German University Presidents’ Conference was held on September 21 and 22 at the University of Göttingen. The theme for the conference was ‘What Opportunities and Challenges does Artificial Intelligence offer to the Higher Education Sector?’ and Tohoku University sent a party of 10 participants, including Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki, faculty, and students.
Proceedings on the first day opened with a welcome from Metin Tolan of the University of Göttingen. Hidenao Yanagi, Ambassador of Japan to Germany, and representatives of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the DAAD also made speeches to the participants. The presidents and vice-presidents of the six member universities then gave presentations on the theme of ‘Current developments and future perspectives for HeKKSaGOn’. EVP Ueki introduced Tohoku University, its history of exchanges within HeKKSaGOn, and the university’s research on digitalization, AI, and robotics. To finish, he expressed his expectation that the consortium would make contributions in these areas. Next, the presidents and vice presidents of the six member universities participated in a panel discussion on the theme of this year’s conference, ‘What Opportunities and Challenges does Artificial Intelligence offer to the Higher Education Sector?’ The panel discussed the impact and challenges of AI on education and research, and EVP Ueki mentioned the great impact that AI will have on education. He said that the development of basic AI-related technology, and also the broader social impact, are issues that humankind must consider for the future.
On the second day, the presidents and vice presidents discussed HeKKSaGOn’s future activities and prospects while research working groups held their own meetings in parallel. Later, students who participated in the summer school held from September 11 to 22, including one faculty member and one student from Tohoku University, made presentations, and the working groups gave a report on their respective activities. A signing ceremony for a joint statement made by the member universities was also held.
HeKKSaGOn’s members decided upon four priority areas and provided funding for three years (October 2020 to September 2023) to working groups conducting research in those areas. From Tohoku University, Professor Kazuya Yoshida of the Graduate School of Engineering and Professor Kazuyo Matsuyae of the Graduate School of Environmental Sciences reported on the activities of the working groups they represented. Due to restrictions on the working groups’ activities caused by the pandemic, some groups have been allowed to continue their activities for a period of one year if they so wish. A call for new working groups is expected to be made, with support for activities to start in October 2024.
In association with the meeting, an AI Symposium was held from September 19 to September 22. A total of 12 faculty members and students from Tohoku University took part. Student participants said that this opportunity for exchange created the possibility of collaboration with individuals in other member universities, and that the ability to meet in person had made the symposium more meaningful.
The Presidents’ Conference, which was held in-person for the first time in four years because of the coronavirus pandemic, was a great success. The next conference is due to be held at Osaka University in autumn 2025.
HeKKSaGOn is a bilateral university network established in July 2010 consisting of six leading institutions, with three members each from Japan and Germany. They are: Tohoku University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Heidelberg University, the University of Göttingen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Joint research between members is carried out through working groups, and the presidents’ conference is held alternately in Japan and Germany once every two years. In 2021, Tohoku University hosted the 8th HeKKSaGOn Presidents’ Conference online.
Contact:
Global Engagement Division, Tohoku University
Email: kokusai-k@grp.tohoku.ac.jp
TEL: 022-217-5578