Strategic Partnership Agreement between Osaka University and the University of British Columbia Signed

On Wednesday, October 16, 2019, University of British Columbia President & Vice-Chancellor Santa Ono, Vice-Provost Murali Chandrashekaran, and their entourage visited Osaka University to sign a strategic partnership agreement with OU.

Prior to the signing ceremony, the group toured the Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), where CiNet Director YANAGIDA Toshio gave an overview of the center. Later, Vice Director TAGUCHI Takahisa showed the group around the facilities, where they got a first-hand look at the cutting-edge research performed at Osaka University. President Ono and Vice-Provost Chandrashekaran had a number of questions regarding research at the center, and later, the group were driven around for a tour of the Suita Campus.

In attendance at the signing ceremony from Osaka University were President NISHIO Shojiro, Executive Vice President KAWAHARA Genta, Executive Assistant to the President and Center for Global Initiatives Professor ISHIKAWA Mayumi, and Research Center for Nuclear Physics Director NAKANO Takashi.

Also in attendance were Mr. Chenier LA SALLE (Consul, Consulate of Canada in Nagoya) and HIGUCHI Shinichi (Head, Office for Particle and Nuclear Research Promotion, Basic Research Promotion Division, Research Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), both of whom delivered a congratulatory address for the signing in hopes that it will lead to further strengthening of the relationship between these two nations.

This agreement aims to develop this bilateral exchange into a new phase based on previous active exchange in the field of nuclear medicine and promote exchange between researchers and students as well through more comprehensive and strategic collaboration.

Director Nakano spoke about the significance and future prospects of this strategic agreement between the two universities, reconfirming the expansive collaborative possibilities in a variety of different fields.

There’s no doubt that the collaborative efforts between the two universities to contribute to the solution of worldwide social issues based on the bonds of trust between President Nishio and President Ono will continue to strengthen moving forward.

A television reporter from NHK covered these collaboration efforts in a story featured on the news the very same day.

President Ono (left) and President Nishio