2022-23

IFReC and the Doherty Institute Jointly Hold an Immunology Symposium

The IFReC-Doherty Institute and Partners Immunology Symposium, the first joint symposium between the Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) at Osaka University and the Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne was held on 20-21 March 2023 at the University of Melbourne campus in Melbourne, Australia. The aim of the event was to build and strengthen collaborative relations in immunology research under the strategic partnership agreement between Osaka University and the University of Melbourne. This symposium was funded by the 2022 Osaka-Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund, which was established by Osaka University and the University of Melbourne.

There were 36 participants, mainly consisting of principal investigators from the two institutions, and eight speakers from Osaka University and eight from the University of Melbourne gave presentations. In addition to exchanging research presentations, discussions were held on how to strengthen future collaborations and confirmed that specific joint research projects will be selected and executed to further promote interactions among researchers, including young researchers.

International Joint Workshop Seminar Held with the University of Melbourne

The 58th Human Sciences Seminar, "Mapping collaborative pathways for disaster recovery: a focus on women and children," was held on 9 March 2023 at the Center for Collaborative Future Creation, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University (OU) online and on-site in a hybrid format.

The speakers were Professor Lisa Gibbs from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne and Dr. Jane Nursey from the Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health. The moderator was Professor Junko OTANI of the OU Graduate School of Human Sciences. They presented research outcomes on the psychological effects of disasters and climate change on children and women. Academic evidence in this field is expected to lead to increased support from society for post-disaster mental care.

The seminar was part of the international joint workshop series titled "Women's and children's health and wellbeing following disaster: Toward a human-right-based recovery framework." This was one of the applications selected for a matching fund with the University of Melbourne, the 2022 Osaka - Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund, in which the Principal Investigators were Professor Gibbs and Professor OTANI. It is anticipated that activities such as this one will accelerate collaborative research to contribute to a better society.

Seminar Information:

“Mapping collaborative pathways for disaster recovery: a focus on women and children”

University College London and Osaka University Further Collaboration to Accelerate Joint Research on the Brain, Mind, and Dementia

On 13 March 2023, five representatives from University College London (UCL), including Professor Geraint Rees, Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), visited Osaka University (OU) to sign a Letter of Intent for further collaboration to address societal issues, starting with dementia.

The signing ceremony was attended by OU representatives including President NISHIO Shojiro, Executive Vice President KANEDA Yasufumi, Executive Vice President ONOYE Takao, Executive Vice President KAWAHARA Genta, and others.

Based on this collaboration agreement, UCL and OU will pursue the creation of a society where “no one is left behind,” which is a fundamental principle of the SDGs. UCL and OU, both leading universities in their respective countries, will bring together their knowledge to conduct internationally outstanding research in the basic field of dementia research and the brain, which is the foundation of the human mind. The outcomes will be shared with stakeholders in society and disseminated at the Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai Japan as one action for Creating Future Society for All Lives.

Following the signing ceremony, meetings were held between the delegation and OU faculty members from different areas of research, in which potential collaboration in specific fields were discussed. Notably, during the meeting in the medical field, OU’s Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet) and UCL’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience signed the Memorandum of Understanding Relating to Perceptual and Cognitive Neuroscience to promote further partnership.

University College London and the University of Melbourne participate in the International Symposium on Microbiology and Immunology

The International Symposium on Microbiology and Immunology, organized by four institutions including Osaka University’s Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) and the Center for Infectious Disease and Education and Research (CiDER), was held at the Osaka International Convention Center on 3 February 2023.

Early-career researchers with exceptional research achievements from overseas partner institutions were invited to the symposium as speakers, including Dr. Pavel Tolar from University College London (UCL) in the UK and Dr. Sidonia Eckle from the University of Melbourne (Melbourne) in Australia. Both universities are conducting collaborative research with IFReC. A total of 135 people attended the symposium, where outstanding research results in microbiology and immunology from around the world were presented and discussed.

UCL and Melbourne are Global Knowledge Partners of Osaka University. Further collaboration with these partners in cutting-edge research areas is expected to deepen through the symposiums such as this one.

Academic Exchange Seminar between Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Osaka University Held for the 24th Time

On 29 November 2022, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Osaka University (OU) held The 24th Academic Exchange Seminar online.

Beginning with an Opening Session, greetings were made by SJTU Dean of College of Smart Energy HUANG Zhen, and OU Executive Vice President of Global Engagement KAWAHARA Genta. Both representatives emphasized that the tireless efforts of both institutions have enabled the continuation of this event despite the persistent influence of COVID-19. They also noted that online methods have made various research collaborations such as this seminar possible, in addition to educational programs.

Following the Opening Session, 8 researchers presented their collaborations in their fields including Materials Science, Joining & Welding, Information Sciences, Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering, Industrial Biotechnology, Chemistry, Combustion Engineering, and Smart City Studies.

Opening Session (29 November)

Strategic Partnership Agreements Established with the University of Göttingen and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Osaka University (OU) established a strategic partnership with the University of Göttingen on 16 September 2022 and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on 26 September 2022. OU has had research and student exchanges with these two German universities for over 10 years through the German-Japanese University Alliance (HeKKSaGOn).

Under the strategic partnerships, OU will strengthen the collaboration with the University of Göttingen in the fields of data science, computational science, cyber infrastructures, and global history, and with KIT in the areas of material science, neuroscience, polymeric materials, and computational mechanics.

As OU's strategic partnerships grow, it is expected that the number of collaborative fields with leading universities will also increase. OU will work with partners to produce research outcomes that address societal issues.

The University of Groningen Visits Osaka University to Sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement

A delegation of 7 members from the University of Groningen (UG) including President Jouke de Vries visited Osaka University (OU) from 7 to 8 November 2022 to commemorate 20 years of our inter-university academic exchange agreement. During their visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed for a strategic partnership and several events were held. Further strengthening of collaboration between the two universities is anticipated moving forward.

For more information, please view the following article published jointly by the two universities: News & Topics | Osaka University Global Engagement (osaka-u.ac.jp)

Virtual Symposium on Infectious Diseases and Drug Development Held with the University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (UBC) and Osaka University (OU) held the 2022 UBC & OU Virtual Symposium on Infectious Diseases and Drug Development online on 14 October 2022 (JST).

The symposium featured five UBC and four OU speakers. From OU, researchers from the Center for Infectious Disease Education and Research (CiDER), Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC), and Research Institute for Microbial Diseases (RIMD) participated. They exchanged information on infectious disease research conducted at each institution and shared opinions.

In particular, CiDER is promoting collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at UBC to advance infectious disease research. UBC is a Global Knowledge Partner of OU and joint research is expected to be further strengthened.

Strategic Partnership Agreement Established with Monash University

Osaka University established a Strategic Partnership Agreement with Monash University on 30 August 2022. The two universities will deepen and expand their collaboration, particularly in the areas of life science and medicine, symbiotic intelligence, and data science.

Over the years, Monash University and Osaka University have been holding a number of joint symposiums, promoting researcher exchange and implementing a cross-appointment system.

As for student exchange activities, study-abroad programs have been active since before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the two universities successfully developed and implemented a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program in translational medicine.

It is expected that the existing activities will flourish as well as initiate new collaboration under the Strategic Partnership.

Signing ceremony for Strategic Partnership Agreement with the University of Melbourne (UoM)

Representatives from UoM, including Prof. James McCluskey (Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research), visited OU for signing the Strategic Partnership Agreement with OU on Friday, June 24, 2022.

Based on this agreement, the Osaka-Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund was established to provide grants to joint workshops of OU and UoM in order to promote their systematic, long-term research collaboration.

For more information on how to apply for this fund program, click here. (link in Japanese) (for internal use)

The 2nd UCL-OU IFReC Joint Symposium on Immunology Held on 13 May 2022

On 13 May 2022, a joint symposium on Immunology between University College London (UCL) and Osaka University's Immunology Frontier Research Center (IFReC) was held at UCL.

The first symposium was held at Osaka University (OU) on 20 June 2019 and the second one was scheduled for 2020. While the originally scheduled second symposium was postponed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it was finally held face-to-face this year.

The symposium began with opening remarks by Professor Hans Stauss, Director, Institute of Immunity and Transplantation of UCL. Researchers from UCL and OU took turns to present and discuss the latest research in immunology, including that related to COVID-19, to expand each other's knowledge.

The event was held at UCL and was also open to an audience of more than 70 people who listened to the researchers' presentations.

At the end of his presentation, Professor TAKEDA Kiyoshi, Director, IFReC, invited young researchers to participate in the upcoming 1st International School on Advanced Immunology (http://www.advanced-immunology.net/) to be held in November 2022.

UCL and OU have long been engaged in international exchange through mutual research discussions and as partners in international joint projects. We can expect continued collaboration beyond this symposium.