Inter-University Exchange Project: Japan-EU Platform Building Project Symposium

The “Inter-University Exchange Project: Japan-EU Platform Building Project Symposium” hosted by Keio University was held online on Thursday, March 18. There were a total of 196 participants, including persons from higher education bodies in Japan, the countries of the EU, and various regions around the world with an interest in international joint degree programs.

In Part 1 of the symposium (14:30–16:00), entitled “Towards the establishment of a ‘Joint Degree Program Council,'” Professor Yoshihiko Uematsu (Director, Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization), Professor Hideki Kasuya (Nagoya University, Aide to Vice-President/Vice Director, Institute of International Education & Exchange), Professor Ichiro Maekawa (College of Global Liberal Arts, Ritsumeikan University/Dean), whose affiliated institutions actively hold joint degree programs with universities overseas, first presented on the current situation and the challenges facing their respective programs. During the discussion and Q&A session which followed, with Keio Vice-President Shinnosuke Obi acting as moderator, the three presenters from the respective universities were joined by Kuniaki Sato, Director of the Office for International Planning at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology [MEXT] which has jurisdiction over this initiative, with views shared on the ideal configurations for more flexible systems to guarantee the quality of degrees and expand the range of joint degree programs.

In Part Two (17:00–18:30), the universities selected under the Japan-EU Inter-University Exchange Program for HIPS, IMLEX, and JEMARO, which are joint master’s degree programs, shared information on their initiatives as well as challenges during the coronavirus pandemic among the principal liaisons and with other universities outside the EU-IUEP programs… Part 2 was held in English, with Professor Toru Aoyama (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) and Professor Balázs Trencsény (Central European University) from HIPS; Professor Shigeki Nakauchi (Toyohashi University of Technology) and Laura Hurmalainen, Msc (University of Eastern Finland, IMLEX Program Coordinator) from IMLEX; and Professor Toshiyuki Murakami (Keio University Graduate School of Science and Technology), Professor Norihisa Miki (Keio University Graduate School of Science and Technology), and Professor Fouad Bennis (Ecole Centrale de Nantes) from JEMARO, giving presentations.

Official Website of the Inter-University Exchange Project Platform Building Project
https://iuep-eu.keio.ac.jp/symposium/

Part 2 The realities of managing international programs during the coronavirus pandemic

1. Opening remarks

2. Status report for each program

“HIPS: A humanities program in the time of COVID-19”
History in the Public Sphere (HIPS)

“Lessons learned and issues in implementing IMLEX”
Imaging and Light in Extended Reality (IMLEX)

“JEMARO Program for Next Generation Robotics”
Japan-Europe Master on Advanced Robotics (JEMARO)

3. Opinion exchange/Q&A