Université Paris-Saclay welcomes Japan's Deputy Minister for Education, Science and Technology: discussions on career prospects for researchers in France and Japan

On 28 June 2028, Prof Estelle Iacona welcomed a delegation led by the Japanese Deputy Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr Yosei Ide. The delegation also included the First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in France, Mr Takahiro Ohno, and representatives of Japanese research agencies and institutions.

The visit to Université Paris-Saclay was part of a week-long series of meetings between the Japanese delegation and leading French public research bodies, including the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), with the aim of learning more about the career paths of researchers in France and improving HR practices in Japan to make the profession more attractive.

Other areas of cooperation in education and research were also discussed, as Japan is a major partner for Université Paris-Saclay in Asia. The University’s scientific cooperation with Japan focuses primarily on the fields of physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science, aeronautics and space, and medicine. Paris-Saclay is also a long-standing partner of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and regularly receives mobility grants from this organisation.

Following a tour of the campus, Prof Sandrine Lacombe, Vice President for International and European Relations at Université Paris-Saclay, presented the university and its key initiatives with Japan. The Professor & Director of the Graduate School for Research and Higher Education, Prof David Neron, and Prof Keitaro Nakatani, Professor of Chemistry at ENS Paris-Saclay, shared their experiences of cooperation with Japanese partners.

Prof Estelle Iacona emphasised the strategic dimension of the relationship between the University and Japan, highlighting the 13 ongoing multidisciplinary cooperation agreements and how Japan is the Université Paris-Saclay’s 7th scientific co-publisher. Japan is also a very popular destination for French students on study and internship mobility programmes. The President underlined the University’s ambition to increase and diversify research cooperation with Japan.

The Minister highlighted the societal impact of research, which creates added value for the employability of young people and the development of Japan. He added that Université Paris-Saclay embodied the "university of the future"; a model for the development and transfer of knowledge that should serve as a model for the Japanese authorities.

Shiho Katsumi, a doctoral student currently doing a joint thesis with the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), talked about her Franco-Japanese research career and shared her satisfaction of the support initiatives which have enabled her to achieve this goal.

The meeting ended with an exchange on future research cooperation initiatives involving French and Japanese industrial partners.