カテゴリー: Bochum-topics

President NAGATA Kyosuke visited the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), Hasselt University, and the Mission of Japan to the European Union in Belgium.

As collaboration with these institutions has been advancing mainly through the EU-Japan Digital Foundations Network, this visit was realized on the occasion of the second symposium of the Network held in Brussels, with the support of Dr. MATSUMOTO Ken, Science and Technology Fellow at the Mission of Japan to the European Union (and an alumnus of the University of Tsukuba).

On June 24, 2026, President NAGATA was accompanied by Prof. OHNEDA Osamu (Vice President for Global Affairs) and Prof. SAKURAI Takeaki (Executive Officer for Research Management) in visiting IMEC and Hasselt University. During the visits, they engaged in active discussions aimed at strengthening future collaboration and toured advanced research facilities.

On June 26, President NAGATA and Vice President OHNEDA visited the Mission of Japan to the European Union, where they held a meeting with Ambassador AIKAWA Kazutoshi. President NAGATA expressed his gratitude for the support provided by the Mission of Japan to the EU for the ongoing EU-Japan Digital Foundations Network Symposium. The meeting also provided an opportunity for both sides to exchange valuable insights on topics such as academic collaboration between Japan and Europe under the framework of Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation funding program.

The second EU-Japan Digital Foundations Network Symposium was held in Brussels, Belgium, on June 25 and 26, 2026, with several faculty members from University of Tsukuba, including President NAGATA Kyosuke, in attendance.

The EU-Japan Digital Foundations Network is a platform jointly established by the University of Tsukuba and Université Grenoble Alpes. It aims to promote cutting-edge research and strengthen human resource development by fostering collaboration among institutions in Japan and the European Union to address challenges in digital foundation technologies, including artificial intelligence, next-generation semiconductors, and quantum technology.

Following the kickoff symposium held in 2025, this second symposium brought together more than 60 participants from network member institutions and invited organizations in Japan and Europe, including leading researchers, industry representatives, and government officials in the field of digital science and technology. During the symposium, lively discussions were held on the future direction of EU-Japan collaboration through parallel sessions organized under the themes of “Computation,” “AI,” and “Sustainability.”

On the final day, a press release and a white paper summarizing the discussions of the symposium were presented. Concrete steps toward future collaboration were also confirmed, including joint applications for the European Union’s research funding framework, Horizon Europe. Furthermore, participants agreed to continue consultations among network member institutions with the aim of holding the third symposium in Japan in 2027, and the symposium concluded successfully.

President NAGATA Kyosuke participated in the Worldwide Universities Network Annual General Meeting 2026, held in Bristol, United Kingdom, from May 20 to 22, 2026. He was accompanied by Prof. OHNEDA Osamu (Vice President for Global Affairs), Prof. ENDO Yasunori (Vice President and Executive Director for Research), and Assistant Professor FUKUSHIGE Mizuho (Bureau of Global Initiatives / Institute of Medicine)

The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is a global network comprising 24 leading research universities dedicated to addressing global challenges. The University of Tsukuba joined WUN in June 2024 as the only member institution from Japan.

The 2026 Annual General Meeting, co-hosted by the University of Bristol—one of the member institutions—and the WUN Secretariat, featured a three-day program. During the meeting, achievements from past WUN initiatives were shared, and active discussions were held among member universities on the future direction of WUN, as well as further improvements to collaborative research support schemes.

The University of Tsukuba will continue to strengthen collaboration with WUN member institutions and contribute to addressing global challenges through research and education.

On May 4, 2026, Prof. Shinji Kuroda from the Institute of Pure and Applied Sciences at University of Tsukuba visited Ruhr University Bochum.

During his visit, Prof. Kuroda met with Prof. Achim von Keudell (Vice Rector for Structure and Planning), and also visited researchers across a wide range of fields, including physics, computer science, and materials science. They engaged in active discussions on future research and educational collaboration between the two universities, with particular emphasis on the potential for student exchange.

The “International Cooperative Education Program with EU Universities for Interdisciplinary Fields of Nano-, Quantum-, Information-, and Bio- Technologies (EUXP),” led by Prof. Kuroda as project leader, provides students with international and interdisciplinary learning opportunities in science and engineering fields through collaboration with six leading European universities. This program was selected as part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s initiative, “Inter-University Exchange Project 2024 – International Cooperative Education Program with EU Universities.”

Ruhr University Bochum is one of the European partner institutions in this program. Starting this year, student exchange between the two universities will begin through a double degree program in computer science, and further expansion of student exchange across various disciplines is expected.

On March 18, 2026, a delegation from Hochschule Düsseldorf (HSD) visited the University of Tsukuba.

HSD is promoting an internationalization strategy called “Japan Gateway” with support from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), aiming to expand collaboration with Japanese universities and industry. This visit was organized as part of efforts to advance the Japan Gateway initiative, in coordination with the University of Tsukuba Bochum Office.

The program began with mutual introductions of the two universities by Vice President Osamu Ohneda (Global Affairs) of the University of Tsukuba and Vice President Thomas Molck (Academic, Student and International Affairs) of HSD. This was followed by presentations on research and educational activities: from the University of Tsukuba, Professors Hiroaki Yano, Yoshihiro Kanamori, and Kazuo Misue (all from the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering), and from HSD, Professors Jens Herder and Kay Schröder. Lively discussions were held on potential collaboration between the two institutions.

After the discussion session, the delegation toured the Empowerment Studio under the guidance of Professor Yano and visited Professor Kanamori’s laboratory. The visit provided a valuable opportunity to explore the strong potential for research and educational collaboration between the two universities, particularly in the fields of information science and engineering and virtual reality (VR), where both institutions have considerable strengths.

In September this year, a summer school is planned to be held in Düsseldorf as part of the Japan Gateway project. It is expected that participation by students from the University of Tsukuba will further promote student exchange between the two universities.

A webinar for early-career researchers, titled “Research in Europe,” was held on Wednesday, February 18.

Jointly organized by four national universities— University of Tsukuba, Kyoto University, Kobe University, and Kyushu University—this webinar was designed to encourage young researchers in Japan to explore research opportunities in Europe. The event was a great success, attracting more than 100 participants including speakers and general attendees.

The program featured a lecture by Dr. Ken Matsumoto, a graduate of the University of Tsukuba and Senior Researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel as well as a Science and Technology Fellow at the Mission of Japan to the European Union. He introduced his own research career in Europe and shared insights based on his experiences. This was followed by a presentation from Deputy Director Dr. Shota Ito of the JSPS Bonn Office, who introduced JSPS support schemes for early-career researchers.

In addition, many staff members and researchers from funding agencies and universities/research institutions in Belgium, Germany, France, and Sweden joined the event, offering detailed presentations on research environments and funding systems in their respective countries. Participants raised a number of questions—such as differences between Japanese and European research cultures—demonstrating the strong interest in pursuing research in Europe.

Through efforts like this, in collaboration with Japanese and European universities and research institutions, the Bochum Office will continue to foster academic exchange between Japan and Europe.

Please check the following webpage for detailed information.

This online event is organized by the University of Tsukuba Bochum Office in collaboration with Kyoto University, Kobe University, and Kyushu University to promote research stays in Europe by young Japanese researchers (such as graduate students and postdoctoral fellows).
The program will feature:

• A lecture by a Japanese researcher (an alumnus of our university) currently active in Europe
• An introduction to funding opportunities for early-career researchers by the JSPS Bonn Office
• Presentations from funding agencies and universities in four European countries—Belgium, Germany, France, and Sweden—on research environments and support schemes

If you are interested in conducting research at European universities or research institutions—either while enrolled at our university or as the next step after graduation—please join us. Participation by senior researchers who are committed to fostering international experience among young scholars is also welcome.