Kobe University

Visit from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

April 19, 2019

On April 12, a delegation from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), led by Vice President Guoqiang Yang and Vice President Zhongping Xu accompanied by five faculty and staff members, visited Kobe University President Hiroshi Takeda. The meeting was also attended from Kobe University by Professor Masahiko Yoshii (Executive Vice President in Charge of International Exchange and Evaluation), Professor Keiji Oda (Executive Vice President in Charge of Industry-University Cooperation) and Professor Lin Huang (Vice-Director of the Center for Asian Academic Collaboration).

The University of Chinese Academy of Sciences is a comprehensive university founded in 1978 under the direct leadership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It encompasses 18 faculties and graduate schools and 117 research institutes. In February 2018, President Takeda and Professor Zhi-wei Luo (former Director of the Kobe University China Office) visited UCAS, and representatives from both institutions signed an inter-university academic exchange agreement.

Following the visit to President Takeda, the delegation attended a meeting to discuss industry-university cooperation. This began with an introduction to our University’s Office for Academic and Industrial Innovation from Executive Vice President Oda, followed by Professor Naoto Ohmura (Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering) and Professor Akihiko Kondo (Dean of the Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation) introducing their respective graduate schools. The meeting continued with an active discussion about both parties’ initiatives for industry-university cooperation. UCAS representatives showed particular interest in the unique characteristics of the Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, which offers education and research programs that integrate the fields of engineering and business administration. The visitors also asked questions about intellectual property management and improving incentives for industry-university collaboration, which were answered by Project Professor Kenji Inoue (Office for Academic and Industrial Innovation).

The delegation were very active during their stay in Kobe. They paid a visit to the Kobe University Integrated Research Center on Port Island, where Professor Keiji Nishida (Vice-Director of the Engineering Biology Research Center) gave them a tour of the facilities, and they also visited the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe.

This was a fruitful visit, and we look forward to engaging in active exchange and further strengthening the links between our organizations.

 (International Affairs Planning Division)