On September 30th, 2026, a signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) (Science and Technology Research Cooperation) was held between JICA and the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University. This MOU on the Science and Technology Research Cooperation Program is the first of its kind in the Kyushu region.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. WAKABAYASHI Motoharu, Director General of JICA Kyushu; Professor KANEKO Satoshi, Dean of the Institute of Tropical Medicine; Professor KANEKO Osamu of the Institute of Tropical Medicine; and Professor TOYAMA Takashi of the Office for Global Affairs, Nagasaki University.
At the ceremony, Dean KANEKO delivered opening remarks, noting that the conclusion of the MOU would enable the dispatch of young researchers with support from JICA and expressing his expectations for future collaboration.
Director General WAKABAYASHI then addressed the audience, highlighting the synergistic effects generated through collaboration between Nagasaki University and JICA, the promotion of human resource development through international experience, and his expectation that Nagasaki University’s expertise would contribute to solving challenges faced by developing countries.
Under this MOU, Nagasaki University plans to dispatch young researchers through the JICA’s JOCV Program from the next academic year onward. The researchers will participate in the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) entitled “Project for the Sustainable Control of Zoonotic Malaria through an Integrated Approach,” which is being implemented by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sabah and other partner institutions.
The parties confirmed that the conclusion of the MOU would serve as an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation between Nagasaki University and JICA and to advance international cooperation activities and the development of globally minded human resources.
