Strategic Partnership Agreement between Osaka University and University College London Signed

On Monday, October 7, 2019, UCL President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur, Vice-Provost Nicola Brewer, and their entourage visited Osaka University to sign a strategic partnership agreement with OU. UCL is one of OU’s Global Knowledge Partners .

President Nishio, Executive Vice President Kawahara, Provost Arthur, and Vice-Provost Brewer signed the agreement, confirming the formidable connection shared by the two universities in their efforts toward their mutual goal of solving global social challenges.

After the signing, Executive Vice President Kawahara explained the background of the agreement and the current situation of the universities’ collaborative efforts, and later, representatives talked about the progress of collaborative activity in their respective fields. During the subsequent plenary meeting, attendees exchanged opinions regarding the possibilities and prospects of further collaboration moving forward. Vice-Provost Brewer spoke about the importance of promoting collaborative research, including young researcher support, short-term student internships, and seed funding projects. The two universities then confirmed a collaborative roadmap, which involves verification of results of current and upcoming projects in Osaka University’s 90 ^th Anniversary Commemorative Project scheduled in 2021.

A television reporter from NHK covered collaborative efforts between the two universities, as well as the Joint Project to research dementia headed by Professor Iso of the Graduate School of Medicine. This story was featured on the news the very same day.