Kobe University has been hosting the “Europe Forum” since 2024 as an initiative for international exchange across Europe, following the “Kobe University Brussels European Centre Symposium” until 2022 and the “Kobe University Brussels European Centre Forum” in 2023.
The forum was held at Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (hereafter “CAU”) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, titled “Discover Kobe U - Japanische Delegation Besucht CAU.” The delegation from Kobe University was led by MIZUHATA Minoru, executive director of the Europe & Africa Division at the Institute for Promoting International Partnerships and professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, and included David Adebahr, lecturer at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies. The delegation met with Professor Ralph Schneider, Vice President for Internationalisation and Early Career Researchers, as well as faculty members from materials science and the humanities and social sciences, to discuss ongoing cooperation and future academic exchange.
At the roundtable session held on February 10, a letter from Executive Vice President TAMAKI Hisashi, director of the Institute for Promoting International Partnerships, was presented to Vice President Schneider prior to the discussion, expressing appreciation for the long-standing exchange between the two institutions.
This was followed by a presentation by Professor MIZUHATA on Kobe University’s priority research areas and major research projects, and an overview of research at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies by Dr. Adebahr. The session concluded with a productive discussion involving more than 20 researchers from CAU.
Dr. ITO Shota, deputy director of the Bonn Office of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), also shared useful information on funding programs for international collaborative research with Japanese universities and research institutions.
While the university-level partnership between Kobe University and CAU was established in 2016, research collaboration in materials science dates back to the 1990s, and exchanges in economics and business administration began in 2014. The two institutions maintain close faculty and student exchanges, with remote lectures by CAU faculty members scheduled to be held at the Graduate School of Engineering in 2026.
Kobe University will continue to strengthen its long-standing partnership with CAU and further promote academic exchange between the two institutions.
The visit is also featured on CAU’s official website. Read more about this here.
(Global Engagement Division)