President YOSHIDA Kazuhiro and other representatives of Gifu University visited the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) in Assam, North Eastern Region (NER) of India from March 7 to 11, 2026, and participated as speakers in the "Guwahati JDP Symposium" held at IITG on March 9. From the opening session in the morning, the symposium brought together approximately 190 participants, including university representatives, government officials, and industry stakeholders from both Japan and India. Lively discussions were held on the potential of international collaborative education and academia–industry partnerships with a focus on NER.
At the beginning of the symposium, President Yoshida emphasized the importance of academic collaboration between Japan and India. He was followed by Vice President Lim Lee Wah, who introduced Gifu University's international initiatives, its Joint Degree Program (JDP), and the expanding scope of educational and research collaboration with India.
A roundtable session held as part of the symposium included a signing ceremony for a Letter of Intent (LoI) toward the establishment of the NER-Japan International Academic and Research Consortium, involving a total of 21 universities from Gifu University, IITG, and other institutions located in NER. Within this consortium, Gifu University is positioned as the coordinating institution on the Japanese side and, in cooperation with IITG, will play a key role in promoting collaboration among universities, government agencies, and industry in NER and Japan.
To date, Gifu University has been the only university in Japan to operate a Joint Degree Program (JDP) with IITG, placing NER at the center of its activities and building pioneering partnerships in education and research. The signing of the LoI marks a further step forward in more than a decade of Japan–India collaboration, signaling a new stage that extends beyond inter-university exchange to regional development and industry collaboration.
During the afternoon academic session titled "Healthcare for a Better Tomorrow," President Yoshida delivered a lecture on his own research achievements and the prospects for international collaborative research in the medical and life sciences fields at Gifu University. His presentation attracted strong interest from participants from both Japan and India.
That evening, a banquet hosted by the Government of Assam was held, attended by representatives from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and Japanese companies. From Gifu University, President Yoshida, Vice President Lim Lee Wah, and Professor KOYAMA Hiroyuki, Executive Director of Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization (GU-GLOCAL), were in attendance. Exchanges of views took place on Japanese companies' expansion into NER, research and educational collaboration, and student exchange, reaffirming the importance of Gifu University's role as a hub connecting Japan and NER.
With the LoI signing and the symposium as a new starting point, Gifu University will continue to strengthen academic, research, and industry collaboration between Japan and India—particularly with NER—and will further promote its international strategy under the banner "From the Region to the World."
President Yoshida delivering opening remarks at the beginning of the symposium
Group photo at the LoI signing ceremony
Group photo with symposium participants
Commemorative photo with Dr. Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, and Director Devendra Jalihal (IITG)
