The 4th Kyoto-Bordeaux International Symposium was held online on 18–19 February 2021 as an initiative under the Strategic Partnership Agreement, which was concluded between the two institutions in October 2019. The agreement aims to build on the close academic ties that had previously been cultivated by the two institutions, and to facilitate the development of interdisciplinary research collaboration and the promotion of human resource mobility in a diverse range of academic fields.
The 4th Kyoto-Bordeaux International Symposium sought to explore the potential of human capital development collaboration between France, Japan, and Africa in the three areas of energy science, medicine, and African area studies. The two-day symposium was open to the general public, and over 200 people participated. The participants included approximately 60 faculty and staff members of the two universities, including both presidents.
The symposium opened with addresses by Professor Manuel Tunon de Lara, president of the University of Bordeaux, Dr Nagahiro Minato, president of Kyoto University, Mr Jules Irrmann, consul general of France in Kyoto, and Professor Antoine Petit, chairman and CEO of CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research). The opening speeches were followed by a signing ceremony for an annex to the Strategic Partnership Agreement.
After an overview of the symposium, delivered by Professor Masayoshi Shigeta of Kyoto University’s Center for African Area Studies (CAAS), keynote lectures were delivered by Ms Junko Masuda, director general of the Africa Department of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Mr Jean Albergel, director of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in France. Following these addresses, two panel sessions were held, the first focusing on current and future collaborative education initiatives by the two universities, and the current status and future prospects for government support in France and Japan. Session 2 then examined the promotion of trilateral education and research collaboration among Japan, France, and Africa.
The second day began with three parallel sessions on each of the symposium’s main topic areas. Each session featured research presentations and discussions to promote future research collaboration. During a wrap-up meeting afterward, representatives from each session group delivered reports on their discussions, outlining future plans for collaboration under the partnership. The symposium concluded with an address by Professor Yasuyuki Kono, Kyoto University’s vice-president for international strategy.
