Report

Following this, Hokkaido University and Hiroshima University, universities adopted to the Inter-University Exchange Project (India Type A) in the 2017 fiscal year, gave presentations summarizing the results of the five years of the project. Prof. OKAZAKI Taichiro of Hokkaido University explained the details of the International Research Skills Program for Developing Sustainable Transportation System and Infrastructure (STSI), which is being implemented as the Inter-University Exchange Project (India Type A). The program consists of problem-solving classes using the PBL method and internship training to gain exchange experience.
The program was able to be conducted online despite the travel difficulties under the circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, because classes had been conducted remotely in cooperation with faculty members from partner universities in India even before the start of the pandemic.
The number of students participating in the program grew steadily before the COVID-19 pandemic and the program was well received by students. It was pointed out that although the number of students exchanged was sluggish after the 2020 fiscal year due to the program shifting to online, some students were able to complete their internships with the cooperation of the partner universities on the Indian side. Regarding the industry-academia collaboration, he announced that a consortium has been established with the cooperation of universities and companies to build a multifaceted support system for the Japan-India exchange program.

Next, FUJIWARA Akimasa, Vice President and Professor at Hiroshima University, reported on the university's “International Linkage Degree Program for Developing Innovators Transforming Advanced Technology to Social Goals”.
The ILDP program had been providing education programs emphasizing the importance of hands-on experiences. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic and activities were shifted to online mode, they are maintaining the number of participants by broadening the frontage.
In addition, when the program initiated a research exchange meeting, it was highly appreciated by students as well as the faculty. Overall, he explained that through the ILDP, they were able to conduct joint research and education programs with Indian universities, leading to participation with industry, government, and the local community, as well as that the exchange meetings attracted many participants from across academic disciplines. He summarized his findings by saying that he believes that seamlessly connecting undergraduate to doctoral studies will lead to a degree-enhancing study abroad channel that he hopes to develop the program in the future.