24 April 2015
Greater opportunities for international research collaborations in the fields of education and the social sciences are expected from a new partnership between the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Kobe University, Japan.
UniSA Vice Chancellor, Professor David Lloyd and Kobe University President, Professor Takeda Hiroshi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to foster academic exchange and cooperation between the two universities, in Kobe, Japan this week.
Prof Lloyd welcomed the new partnership, which is designed to promote stronger research collaboration.
“We’re delighted to be able to forge this new partnership with Kobe University, which is one of the highest ranked universities in Japan and noted for its excellence in graduate research education,” Prof Lloyd says.
“This MOU recognises and promotes the complementary strengths of our institutions and will particularly benefit our research community.
“To become a world leader in research in the areas of social science and education means establishing strong global links with institutions that share that same vision and that is why our new partnership with Kobe University is so valuable.”
Kobe University President, Professor Takeda Hiroshi, said the new MOU will facilitate collaboration more widely.
“A researcher exchange in the field of sociology initiated by individual researchers of both institutions has been the basis for this newly signed MOU, but our collaboration is expected to extend to new areas including law, as well as the establishment of collaborative educational programs,” Prof Takeda Hiroshi says.
Constructive relationships have already been established between researchers from both universities. Prof Kiyomitsu Yui, Professor of Sociology at the Graduate School of Humanities and the Executive Director of the Centre for EU Studies at Kobe University has worked closely with Prof Anthony Elliott, Director of UniSA’s Hawke Research Institute.
In 2014 Professor Yui was invited to UniSA where he delivered a masterclass on globalisation and travelling subcultures and he was also a guest speaker at a Hawke Research Institute conference, delivering a presentation titled: Mediating Global Risks in Transforming Daily Consciousness.
Prof Yui has invited Prof Elliott to be a keynote speaker at the International Federation of Social Science Organisations conference at Seijo University in Tokyo at the end of May and Professor Elliott is also expected to deliver a public lecture at Kobe University in June.
Media contact: Will Venn office (08) 8302 0096 email will.venn@unisa.edu.au
