On August 4, a delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), India, consisting of Professor Sudarshan Kumar, dean of International Relations; Professor Nagendra Kumar, faculty advisor to the Office of the Dean- International Relations, professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering; Professor Neeraj Kumbhakarna, associate dean and professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Ipsita Das, senior project manager, Office of International Relations; and Ms. Chandrika Naik, clerical assistant, Office of International Relations, paid a courtesy visit to Executive Vice President TAMAKI Hisashi, director of the Office for Promoting International Cooperation, to exchange views on future inter-university collaboration.
From Kobe University, the meeting was also attended by TOMINAGA Keisuke, professor at the Graduate School of Science, CHATANI Eri professor at the Graduate School of Science, SATO Takahiro, professor at the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration, MATOBA Osamu, professor at the Graduate School of System Informatics, and Rahul BARE, associate professor of the Graduate School of System Informatics.
At the beginning of the meeting, Professor Tamaki welcomed the delegation, introduced Kobe University's international initiatives and expressed his expectations for strengthening collaboration between the two universities. Professor Sudarshan Kumar and Dr. Das then introduced IIT Bombay's educational and research initiatives, including campus startups, interdisciplinary research and various collaborations with Japan through LOTUS programs. The participants also exchanged views on future collaboration, emphasizing the growing importance of Japan–India cooperation and reaffirming their commitment to further strengthening ties through initiatives such as expanding short-term programs and organizing joint research workshops.
Following the meeting, the delegation visited Professor Tominaga's laboratory at the Center for Life Photonic Innovation, where they received an overview of ongoing research from Mr. Ankit Kumar, an IIT Bombay research scholar currently conducting research at Kobe University under the LOTUS Program.
This visit is expected to further strengthen collaboration and academic exchange between the two universities.
（International Affairs Division）