Following the first training session held in October 2023 at Sophia University and other locations, seven faculty members involved in the Master’s Program in Human Resources Development for Socio-Economic Development (MCIGPD) at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) visited our university for the second training session from May 28 to May 29, 2024.

Sophia University, in cooperation with Koei Research & Consulting Co., Ltd., is actively supporting the improvement project for this master’s program implemented by JICA in Honduras. The visit of these four faculty members is part of the initiatives undertaken under this project. This project aims to restructure the curriculum of the MCIGPD at the UNAH. The goal is to improve the training of professionals responsible for socio-economic development projects in the country, contributing to the effective and efficient implementation of such projects.

The training at our university was conducted with the cooperation of Professor Yasuhiro Ueki and Professor Noriko Hataya, along with Professor Sven Saaler, Professor Daisaku Higashi, Professor Naoki Umemiya, and Assistant Professor Takehito Kamata. The training aimed to achieve the following objectives:

1. To deepen understanding of the guidance and methodologies for conducting graduate research in international cooperation programs in Japan.
2. To gain insights into the administration, curriculum, and course content of international cooperation graduate programs in Japan.
3. To discuss the enhancement of collaboration following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Sophia University and UNAH.

Faculty members from UNAH expressed their intentions to reconsider their own practices by drawing inspiration from the research guidance and methodologies at Sophia University. They also expressed a desire to promote active academic exchange among faculty and students.Based on the insights gained during the training, the UNAH faculty developed an action plan for future initiatives. Upon returning, they aim to apply this plan within their programs, actively working on the project.

Additionally, in June 2024, the MoU between Sophia University and UNAH was handed over by Professor Carmen Julia Fajardo Cardona, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UNAH, to Sophia’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Takashi Irohara. This is expected to enhance future exchanges between the two universities.