Sussex delegation strengthens university links in Japan
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), Prof Michael Davies, recently led a delegation of Sussex colleagues to Japan to strengthen partnerships with leading Japanese universities for student exchange, research and potential teaching collaboration.
The Sussex delegation with Sussex students at Waseda, Japan.
Prof Davies was accompanied by Director of International Recruitment & Development (Life Sciences), Prof Jonathan Bacon; Director of International Recruitment & Development (Social Sciences), Prof Cherith Moses; and Emily Sinclair and Georgie Chesman from the International Office.
Head of International Programmes, Emily Sinclair, said:
“Japan has become an attractive destination for Sussex students to study abroad in the last few years and it was great to meet with our students who were clearly enjoying their time there. We were busy identifying opportunities for further student and staff exchange activities.”
The delegation also identified overlapping areas of research and teaching at Sussex and partner universities in Japan, where there is scope for deeper collaboration. These included drug creation, sustainability and global political economy.
Prof Davies said:
“The visit provided an opportunity for Sussex to raise its profile in Japan through alumni events and furthering existing links with Japanese institutions. Sussex was also able to build bridges for new collaborations with high profile Japanese universities in strategically important areas.”
The Sussex delegation attended a reception in Tokyo.
The mission, organised by the International Office, involved visits to ten universities throughout Japan. These included Kyoto, Kyushu, Waseda, Doshisha, International Christian University, Hokkaido and Chuo. Some of these are new partnerships for student exchange, and the delegation met with Sussex students currently on their year abroad as exchange students.
Three alumni events were also held in cities across Japan, with the help of the Development and Alumni Relations Office and University of Sussex Alumni Association in Japan (USAAJ).
Sussex hosted its first alumni event in Japan’s south island, Kyushu, where eight alumni joined the delegation for afternoon tea. Events were also held in Osaka and Tokyo, with an evening reception welcoming 30 alumni in Tokyo and a guest presentation from Hiroshi Sato, Chief Senior Researcher at Japan’s Institute of Developing Economies.