Kyoto University has concluded an MOU on inter-university academic cooperation and exchange with Taiwan’s Academia Sinica.
Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s preeminent research institute, is under the direct administrative supervision of the Office of the President. Comprised of 32 laboratories and centers, it is recognized as a world leader in research, human capital development, and science promotion in fields spanning the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
Several inter-departmental MOUs had already been concluded between multiple Kyoto University’s departments and Academia Sinica by 2018. However, to further accelerate academic exchange between researchers and students of the two institutions, the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), a part of Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS), joined forces with the Institute for Chemical Research (ICR), Institute for Research in Humanities, and Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) to propose an MOU on inter-university academic exchange. A signing ceremony to mark the conclusion of the MOU was held on 18 December.
Members discussing in the Reception Room
From left: AS Vice President Liu and KyotoU President Yamagiwa
Attendees at the signing ceremony from Kyoto University included President Juichi Yamagiwa, Dr Kayo Inaba, executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations, and Professor Jun Suzuki, deputy director of iCeMS. Academia Sinica was represented by Vice President Fu-Tong Liu, Professor Tzu-Ching Meng, who is the coordinator for exchanges with iCeMS, and other researchers.
MOU signing ceremony attendees
In June this year, iCeMS held a joint symposium at Academia Sinica, as well as a ceremony to mark the planned opening of its Taiwan office. The two institutions are also coordinating the establishment of an on-site laboratory, the Center for Integrated Biosystems, within Academia Sinica premises.
Joint meeting between iCeMS, ICR, and AS
Before and after the signing ceremony, there were meetings between researchers, including iCeMS director, Dr Susumu Kitagawa, ICR director, Dr Yoshinobu Tsujii, and Research Coordination Alliance director and ICR Professor, Norihiro Tokitoh, about KyotoU-AS research collaboration, discussions about the on-site laboratory, and a tour of the iCeMS laboratories. The Kyoto University-Academia Sinica Bilateral Symposium also took place at KUIAS-iCeMS’s main building.
Kyoto University-Academia Sinica Joint Symposium
Symposium presenters
The conclusion of this MOU has broadened the prospects for further leaps in joint research and interdisciplinary research in many diverse fields, including materials chemistry, biology, chemistry, humanities, and Southeast Asian studies. It is hoped that the addition of Taiwan’s preeminent research institute as a key partner of Kyoto University will result in stronger exchanges with Taiwanese universities and the expansion of cooperation with Taiwan as a whole.
iCeMS will pursue research and educational cooperation in the biological sciences field, using the on-site laboratory, the Center for Integrated Biosystems, as a base, with the aims of the further extension of its cutting-edge research and the expansion of exchanges with students in Taiwan.