The UTokyo-KI LINK programme inaugurated in Tokyo
The UTokyo-KI LINK programme was officially launched at a kick-off symposium at the University of Tokyo on November 9, 2023.
Honored by inaugural speeches by President Fujii and Vice President Saito, the event continued with presentations from Principal Investigators from both KI and UTokyo that summarized some of the research topics already connected to program.
The audience, which consisted of researchers, students, as well as representatives from several funding agencies and the Swedish Embassy, was also informed on the background and content of the program by Professors Camilla Björkegren (KI) and Katsuhiko Shirahige (UTokyo), main responsible for the UTokyo-KI LINK programme. Providing support for future collaborations, Associate Professor Matti Nikkola presented the outline of PhD education at KI, Associate Professor Kristian Jeppson shared his experiences from working at both universities, and Mr Lennart Stenberg (VINNOVA) highlighted both opportunities and challenges in collaborations between Japan and Sweden.
"We are glad to see that UTokyo-KI LINK has already resulted in several new collaborations between the two Universities, and look forward to continue to stimulate even more” says Professor Katsuhiko Shirahige, who is the Director of the Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at Tokyo University.
"Building on student and postdoc exchange the LINK program opens the international arena for our young scientists", adds Professor Camilla Björkegren.
Encouraged by the large participation at the event and the wide interest in the program, the program now moves on from this successful launch to further develop UTokyo-KI LINK as a central interaction node between the two universities.