NEWS On 9-12 October, researchers, representatives of university management, financiers and other stakeholders from Sweden and Japan met in Tokyo to discuss contemporary research issues in ageing, materials science, innovation and sustainability. The conference was organised within the framework of MIRAI - a project to strengthen academic cooperation in education, research and innovation between Swedish and Japanese universities.
Opening session
Image Mirai– Japan and Sweden are two strong research countries with well-developed systems for higher education. We have many common research interests and face similar challenges in the future, so our hope is that MIRAI will create a platform for a much more intensive exchange between our countries, says Greg Neely, Pro Dean at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the university's representative in the Scientific Committee.
Workhops on Ageing, Materials Science, Innovation and Sustainability as well as a celebration of 150 years of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Japan, were on the agenda.
From Umeå, 10 representatives from the university participated, including Vice-Chancellor Hans Adolfsson and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Katrin Riklund, as well as a representative from Umeå University Holding.
The MIRAI cooperation consists of seven universities from Sweden and eight from Japan, including Hokkaido University and Waseda University, which Umeå University has exchange agreements with. The agreement with Waseda University was signed in the Autumn of 2017 and has sprung from MIRAI.
In addition to the conference, an alumni meeting was organised at the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo to which alumni who were in Japan were invited.
MIRAI is a three-year project that has come halfway. In 2019, the project will organise shorter doctoral student courses in both Sweden and Japan. At Umeå University, the doctoral student course will be given in the field of Materials Science.
The intention of MIRAI is to be the starting point of a long-term cooperation. Therefore, Sweden's ambassador in Tokyo and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology, signed a Joint Statement to continue developing cooperation after the MIRAI project ends.
The Ambassador of Sweden Magnus Robach and Deputy Minister Yoshio Yamawaki.
Image Mirai"Mirai" - future! is a project to strengthen academic cooperation in education, research and innovation between Swedish and Japanese universities. The project is specifically directed towards researchers who are in the early stages of their career. The topic and focus is sustainability, materials science and aging. Read more at:
Mirai
