The University of Manchester and Osaka University are delighted to announce the launch of a new strategic partnership. The new alliance complements the ongoing civic engagement between our two cities with the university-to university partnership being launched on the same day as a mayoral memorandum of understanding is signed by Andy Burnham and Hideyuki Yokoyama.
The new partnership will promote and facilitate increased levels of research engagement between our two institutions with several areas of mutual interest and complementarity already identified. These include thematic research areas such as Environmental Sustainability, Biotechnology, and Quantum Technologies, which mirror the research and innovation priorities or our respective governments.
The UK and Japanese governments reaffirmed their mutual commitment to strengthening science and innovation ties after agreeing to renew the two countries' longstanding Science and Technology Agreement in May 2023. It's anticipated that funding opportunities such as the UK's International Sciences Partnerships Fund and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science funding programmes will be able to support collaboration between our two institutions as we seek to address global challenges and strive for cutting edge innovations.
Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice President for Internationalisation for The University of Manchester, commented "This is an exciting development in global partnering around key research themes for our universities. It aligns perfectly with both regional and national priorities and the UK becoming a member of the CPTPP Pacific trade group".
Dr Clara Cheung, Head of Internationalisation for ASEAN, Japan, and Korea, Faculty of Science and Engineering, The University of Manchester, said "We sincerely thank our counterparts at the University of Osaka for their dedication to building bridges between our academic communities. This partnership underscores our shared commitment to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and preparing the next generation of leaders in science and engineering."
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Manchester recognises forging closer links with Japan, a leading and innovative economy, as a mutually beneficial opportunity and The University of Manchester has an important role to play.
"We're an outward-looking city and co-operation such as this, combining the academic expertise we have here with the knowledge which exists in Osaka, will strengthen our research specialisms and open up new avenues for innovation."
