On 26 April 2018, Dr Kayo Inaba, Kyoto University's executive vice-president for gender equality, international affairs, and public relations, attended the 5th ASEAN-Japan Workshop in Cebu, the Philippines.
The annual workshop is organized by the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum and held in the ASEAN region as a platform for members of the government, industrial, and academic sectors in Japan and ASEAN countries to network, discuss current issues, and explore possible science and technology collaborations to address the needs of the international community.
The 2018 event had two overarching themes: "Technology Transfer" and "Artificial Intelligence and Society 5.0". Its main organizers were the STS forum and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of the Philippines with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) serving as co-organizers. Support was also provided by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Inc, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cebu, Inc. The participants comprised more than 120 representatives of Japanese and ASEAN universities, research institutes, government bodies, and businesses.
The workshop opened with a greeting from Mr Koji Omi, founder and chairman of the STS forum. This was followed by addresses from Mr George Barcelon, chairman of PCCI, Mr Yasukazu Irino, executive vice-president of JETRO, and His Excellency Mr Koji Haneda, ambassador of Japan to the Philippines. A keynote speech was then delivered by Professor Fortunato De La Peña, secretary of DOST, who touched on two goals: working towards a "collective prosperity", and bringing science to the aid of humanity. He also discussed the increasing collaboration opportunities brought about by technological advances, as well as the continuing value of "face-to-face" opportunities to forge collaborative partnerships, such as those provided by the ASEAN-Japan Workshop.
The main program was centered around two roundtable presentation and discussion sessions: "Science and Technology Cooperation between ASEAN and Japan: Facilitating Technology Transfer" in the morning, and "Artificial Intelligence and Society 5.0" in the afternoon. Each featured eight to nine presentations on related topics, followed by group discussions and commentary.
EVP Inaba delivered a presentation during the morning session, focusing on the technology transfer initiatives underway at Kyoto University. As examples, she introduced some of the KyotoU subsidiary companies established to leverage the University's research outcomes: Kansai Technology Licensing Organization (Kansai TLO), which helps with patent applications, and Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co, Ltd (Kyoto iCAP), which proactively supports other companies' commercialization of the University's research.
The 6th ASEAN-Japan Workshop is scheduled to take place in Singapore in 2019, after the STS forum's 15th Annual Meeting in Kyoto on 7–9 October 2018.
EVP Inaba delivers her presentation
The "Technology Transfer" session
