UMBC and Kyushu University Sign International Partnership Agreement

Memorandum promotes academic cooperation and collaborative research.

UMBC celebrated the start of a new partnership with Japan’s Kyushu University on June 24, 2014, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for academic and research exchanges. Our two institutions will work to reach breakthroughs in cutting-edge scientific areas. We also will develop collaborations to advance learning while strengthening our respective regional economies.

In a signing ceremony, Dr. Setsuo Arikawa, president of Kyushu University, added his signature to the MOU with UMBC, previously signed by UMBC President Freeman A. Hrabowski. Provost Philip Rous, who represented UMBC at the ceremony, describes, “The academic agreement signed between UMBC and KU articulates our universities’ shared vision and intention to collaborate broadly in both research and education.”

“We anticipate that our partnership will initially focus on cybersecurity curriculum development,” says Antonio Moreira, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at UMBC. The universities expect to initiate program exchanges in 2016.

The partnership festivities began with a signing ceremony in Adelphi, Maryland, for a similar agreement between University System of Maryland (USM) and Kyushu University. USM Chancellor William E. “Brit” Kirwan welcomed leaders including Kenichiro Sasae, ambassador of Japan to the United States; Dr. Arikawa, President of Kyushu University; and John McDonough, secretary of state for Maryland.

A delegation from Kyushu University then travelled to UMBC for a second signing ceremony, tour of UMBC research facilities, and discussion of potential collaboration areas, focusing on the interdisciplinary field of cybersecurity.

A leading public research institution in the city of Fukuoka on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu, Kyushu University has received special acclaim for its excellence in materials science, chemistry, biology and biochemistry, immunology and pharmacology.

Educational partnership agreements are a prominent component of UMBC’s nationally acclaimed success in combining high-quality undergraduate teaching with achievement in graduate education and research. UMBC has an existing educational partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Research Lab, the Army’s premier laboratory for basic and applied research and analysis. The agreement provides a framework for collaborations between UMBC faculty and students and Army Research Lab researchers. Earlier this month, UMBC and the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that enables future collaboration between UMBC and the U.S. Army.

(06/25/2014)