On August 9, Consul-General David Lawson from the Australian Consulate-General Osaka visited Okayama University and made a courtesy call to President Hirofumi Makino.

Consul-General Lawson and President Makino discussed the current state of student exchange and collaborative research between Australia and Okayama University, and also exchanged ideas on how to further strengthen international cooperation. Consul-General Lawson described the active exchange and collaborative research taking place in the field of regenerative medicine between Australia and Japan. President Makino introduced how Okayama University is a solid research institute that has been selected for three key designations as a research institute－”The Program for Promoting the Enhancement of Research Universities,” “Clinical Research Core Hospital,” and “Translational Research Network Program.”

Okayama University has an international exchange agreement with seven universities in Australia, with student exchange and research exchange being conducted in a wide range of fields. In addition, Okayama Prefecture and the state of South Australia will mark its 25th anniversary of having sister state and prefecture relationship, so we look forward to enhancing Okayama University’s exchange with Australia even further.