The Japan–France Symposium in Higher Education, held on December 7 at the Maison Franco-Japonaise in Tokyo, was attended by Executive Vice President Toshiya Ueki, who delivered a presentation on Tohoku University’s links with France.
About 60 representatives from universities and institutions in both Japan and France attended the symposium. The main theme of the symposium was “The Universities’ Roles and Internationalization in the Regional Development”, and discussions were held on the current state of higher education and research exchange between the two countries and on future issues. EVP Ueki gave a presentation on universities’ roles in the internationalization of local regions and introduced the ELyT project, which is a collaboration between Tohoku University, the University of Lyon and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). EVP Ueki also introduced the opening in November of the Lyon Center, which is attached to the Institute of Fluid Science, and other aspects of collaboration between Tohoku University and higher education institutions in France.
The exchange of researchers between Tohoku University and French universities and research institutions has been ongoing for several years. At present, there exist 48 university and department academic exchange agreements between Tohoku University and partners in France, and exchanges between the two countries have been numerous. In addition, international collaborative research is being carried out at ELyTMaX, a joint laboratory established at Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA-Lyon), and through a liaison office established at the University of Lyon., An increase in research activities is expected to come about through these initiatives.
