KU-UNIVIE Strategic Partnership Event: University-Driven Future Society Design held at Kyoto University in collaboration with the University of Vienna (May 29, 2025)
A collaborative academic exchange event titled KU-UNIVIE Strategic Partnership Event: University-Driven Future Society Design was held at Kyoto University in collaboration with the University of Vienna on May 29, 2025. Kyoto University and the University of Vienna concluded an academic exchange agreement in 1993, followed in October 2019 by a Strategic Partnership Agreement. Since then, the two universities have cooperated on the development of cross-disciplinary research collaboration, pioneering joint research in new academic fields, and promoting mobility by early-career researchers.
The event was organized to coincide with a visit to Japan by a delegation from the University of Vienna to participate in the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025. Forty-five people participated in the event, including collaborating researchers from both institutions. The event sought to further promote research collaboration between the two universities, and provide an opportunity to consider how universities can contribute to the Osaka-Kansai Expo’s main theme of “Designing a Future Society for Our Lives.”
The event opened with remarks from President Nagahiro Minato and Rector Sebastian Schütze (University of Vienna). In the keynote speeches that followed, Prof. Barbara Prainsack (Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Vienna) spoke about ethical AI governance that balances innovation and public value, with data solidarity as a keyword, and Prof. Satoshi Kodama (Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University) spoke about the dual nature of science and technology and the role of ethics. The event was brought to a close with remarks from Prof. Mika Yokoyama, deputy executive vice-president for international affairs and director of the Kyoto University European Center.
Opening remarks by President Minato and Rector Schütze (University of Vienna)
Keynote speeches by Prof. Prainsack (University of Vienna) and Prof. Kodama
Closing remarks by Prof. Mika Yokoyama, deputy executive vice-president for international affairs and director of the Kyoto University European Center. Executive staff from Kyoto University and the University of Vienna
Event participants
