“MIRAI” is an inter-university collaboration project aimed at strengthening academic exchanges between Japan and Sweden, initiated in 2017. Currently, 17 universities from Japan and Sweden, including Sophia University, are members. The third phase of this project will commence in 2024, and a kick-off event was held online on September 4th, with over 200 participants from Japan, Sweden, and other related parties.
At the beginning of the event, ambassadors from both Japan and Sweden delivered messages expressing their hopes for further development in academic research exchanges between the two countries. This was followed by keynote speeches centered on sustainability, delivered by the Research Director of the Stockholm Environment Institute from the Swedish side and a captain of the B777 from ANA Holdings Inc. from the Japanese side.
Additionally, co-chairs from Japan and Sweden representing the four Global Challenge Teams (GCT) that started in the third phase took the stage to present their respective teams’ planned activities.
From Sophia University, Professor Masahiro Fujita from the Department of Materials and Life Sciences, a co-chair for one of the GCTs, “Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage,” presented. He outlined various themes aimed at contributing to technology development for a sustainable society in both Japan and Sweden. Following the presentations, a lively Q&A session took place, reflecting the high level of interest in MIRAI’s activities.
In the third phase of MIRAI, the goal is to further strengthen the collaborative relationships and research advancements among participating universities from Japan and Sweden, and to more robustly promote the societal application of research outcomes.
Sophia University will continue to leverage its strengths through participation in MIRAI, advancing efforts to address global societal challenges.