Overviews

MIRAI is an international academic alliance between Swedish Universities and Japanese Universities to collaborate with each other to tackle on the global issues based on points raised at the "Japan-Sweden University Presidents' Summit" in October 2015. In 2017, seven Swedish Universities and eight Japanese Universities established MIRAI - Sweden-Japan Academic Alliance to promote collaborations between two countries in the fields of research, education and innovation and to cultivate academic human resources for the next generation, which was supported by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT). It conducts not only several conferences, seminars and workshops for research development but also short-term training courses for PhD students and Post Doctors. MIRAI was originally a two year program between 2017 to 2019　but in 2018, all MIRAI universities gathered at the MIRAI seminar in Tokyo and discussed the future of MIRAI to develop its collaboration further. The universities highly appreciated the MIRAI collaborations and hoped to continue the Alliance. They all agreed to set the stage for the next MIRAI and to invite other related universities to it. During this event, the Universities made a statement highlighting the importance of the collaboration between Sweden and Japan, and it was endorsed by all MIRAI universities.

Based on the statement, the next MIRAI started in 2020, called MIRAI 2.0, and it expanded the partners and collaborations further based on the former MIRAI. MIRAI 2.0 focuses on the specific topics, Aging, Material Sciences, Sustainability and AI.

Activities

Research & Innovation Week

During the three years between 2020 and 2022, it organizes an event of research & innovation week for young researchers.

Seed funding for collaborations in research, education & innovation

Researchers who join the Research & Innovation week and have found partner researcher, will be eligible for the founding. It support collaborative research among the MIRAI universities and promote it　to expand and develop further.

Short courses for PhD and Post-Docs

MIRAI provide short courses for PhD and Post-Docs to develop their activities.

Teacher and staff mobility

MIRAI universities agreed to exchange their knowledge and deepen their relationship with each other. Not only faculty members but also administrative staff can receive the opportunity for the international mobility among MIRAI universities with financial supports.

Student exchange

MIRAI universities are encouraged to exchange their students between the Universities. Student can receive good opportunities to interact different country's students and culture, and to develop their international mind.

MIRAI Universities

MIRAI 2.0 (2020-2022)

Swedish Universities

• University of Gothenburg (coordinating University)
• Linköping University
• Lund University
• Uppsala University
• Umeå University
• Linnaeus University
• Karlstad University
• Örebro University
• Jönköping University
• Luleå University of Technology
• Stockholm School of Economics (Associate member)

Japanese Universities

• Nagoya University (coordinating University)
• Hiroshima University
• Hokkaido University
• Sophia University
• Kyushu University
• The University of Tokyo
• Tohoku University
• Waseda University

Contact

Office of International Affairs Assoc. Prof. Branko Aleksic
international@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp