カテゴリー: Bochum-topics

From 30 September to 2 October 2026, Vice-Rector Isolde Karle of Ruhr University Bochum, who is responsible for Diversity, Inclusion and Talent Development, visited the University of Tsukuba.

During her visit, Vice-Rector Karle met with faculty and staff members engaged in related initiatives across a wide range of organizations, including the Institute of Human Sciences, the Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Central Library, the Bureau of Human Empowerment (BHE), and the Division of Student Exchange. Through these discussions, she gained a comprehensive understanding of the University of Tsukuba’s efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

On the final day of her visit, Vice-Rector Karle met with President Kyosuke Nagata. Building on the insights gained through the various visits and discussions, they engaged in an active exchange of views on newly identified opportunities for collaboration between the two universities.

Prof. Yoshihiro Kanamori of the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering and three master’s students from the University of Tsukuba participated in the Mixed Media and Human Data Interaction Summer School 2026 organized by Hochschule Düsseldorf (HSD). The University of Tsukuba Bochum Office also supported part of the program.

The Summer School was held from 14 to 23 September 2026 as part of HSD’s international strategy for Japan, “Japan Gateway.” The participation of faculty members and students from the University of Tsukuba was made possible following the visit of an HSD delegation to the University of Tsukuba in March 2026.

The Summer School focused on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. As part of the student projects, participants used 3D scan data of the stadium of VfL Bochum, which is a partner organization of the University of Tsukuba. The projects also included an interview with VfL Bochum Japanese player Koji Miyoshi. The cooperation between HSD and VfL Bochum was realized with support from the University of Tsukuba Bochum Office.

The students from the University of Tsukuba worked intensively on project assignments as members of mixed Japanese-German teams throughout the program. The Summer School provided them with a valuable opportunity to deepen their interest in international collaboration and intercultural academic exchange.

The NIMS–University of Tsukuba–Ruhr University Bochum Workshop on Advanced Materials Research was held on 25–26 August 2026.

This event was initiated following a visit by Prof. Shinji Kuroda of the University of Tsukuba to Ruhr University Bochum in May 2026, during which he met with Prof. Tong Li of the Chair of Atomic-Scale Characterisation. The workshop marked the first occasion to fully leverage Ruhr University Bochum’s institutional partnerships with both the University of Tsukuba and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS).

The workshop on 25 August was held at the Sengen site of NIMS. It began with a presentation by Prof. Li, who visited Japan for the event, followed by presentations from researchers in related fields from NIMS and the University of Tsukuba. Participants engaged in extensive discussions on potential avenues for future research and educational collaboration among the three institutions. Prof. Akira Uedono, Director of the University of Tsukuba Bochum Office, also participated in the workshop and served as chair of the session entitled “High-Entropy and Magnetic Oxides.”

On 26 August, Prof. Li visited several laboratories at both NIMS and the University of Tsukuba, where further discussions were held regarding future opportunities for collaboration.

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.