University of Melbourne renews agreements with Hokkaido University

The University of Melbourne has signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Student Exchange Agreement with Hokkaido University, during a Hokkaido University delegation visit to the Parkville campus.

University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell and President of Hokkaido University Professor Kiyohiro Houkin signed the MoU to support new and established collaborations in research and academic activities on the basis of mutual benefit for both institutions.

The Student Exchange Agreement expands on the relationship to facilitate the exchange of undergraduate and graduate students between the two universities.

The delegation, a reciprocal visit following the University of Melbourne’s visit to Japan in June, also saw the signing of a Research Partnerships Agreement to facilitate two further rounds of the Hokkaido – Melbourne Joint Research Workshops Fund, which was piloted earlier this year.

The first recipients were announced in Hokkaido in June, and a second round is now open for applications from collaborating researchers across all disciplines.

The research collaborations fostered by the Joint Research Workshops Fund, and the student experiences facilitated through mutual exchange, will further strengthen the University of Melbourne’s connection to Hokkaido University.

This institutional relationship was progressed during a virtual delegation to Japan in late 2021, followed by a Virtual Conference on Healthy Ageing featuring researchers from both Universities.