Rector Ilshat Gafurov and Vice-Rector Dmitry Tayursky were present.

The symposium on bilateral cooperation is being held on 17th – 20th January. The program covers various activities aimed at arranging new links between Russian and Japanese academia, which in KFU’s case started about 30 years ago.

In his report, Rector Gafurov said, “We have been cooperating with Kanazawa University and RIKEN for many years, and I am very glad that this cooperation has been elevated to a new level after being supported by agreements between the heads of our two states. Today this allowed us to expand our agreements, as they can now be filled with content not only by seasoned scientists but also by young people who now have the opportunity to contribute since their student years. Thus, we open the door for public diplomacy within the Year of Japan in Russia and Year of Russia in Japan.”

The Japanese side also emphasized the importance of this development. Former Prime-Minister Yoshiro Mori sent a video message in which he expressed hope for a stronger friendship between academics and researchers. He said that he has big expectations of Kanazawa University and RIKEN – the two institutions which are actively involved in bilateral ties, and very much so with KFU.

KFU and its Japanese partners now cooperate in medicine, physics, chemistry, biology and other areas. Yesterday’s agreements laid new paths for this work.

Vice-Rector Dmitry Tayursky noted, “The opportunity to obtain double diplomas will help raise personal competences of young scientists and build bridges of friendship.” At the symposium opening he made a presentation of KFU’s ties with Japan and its current development strategy.

The inter-university exchange program under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan also includes Saint-Petersburg State Medical University, Krasnoyarsk State Medical University, Altay State University, Irkutsk State University, and Far Eastern Federal University. The program is financed by the grants of the Government of Japan.