Expo 2025 Osaka: Italian Universities Forge New Alliances at Italy Pavilion
Osaka: The mission undertaken by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and by the Conference of Deans of Italian Universities (CRUI) has officially started at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. Eight agreements and Memoranda of understanding between Italian and Japanese universities were presented to mark the occasion.
According to Ansa News Agency, the ceremony was attended by the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, Ambassador Mario Vattani, and Professor Giovanna Iannantuoni, the president of CRUI and dean of the University Milano Bicocca. The University of Siena announced the signature of four protocols: a Memorandum of understanding and a student mobility agreement with Shimonoseki City University, and two accords with Meikai University and Asahi University.
The University of Florence announced the signature of a Memorandum with Keio University and an agreement for cultural and scientific cooperation with Osaka Metropolitan University. Additionally, Rome’s Sapienza University signed a Memorandum with Kansai Medical University of Hirata (Osaka), while the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice announced that it has finalized an agreement with Kansai Medical University.
The themes of the accords, developed with the help of the Italian embassy in Tokyo, included the mobility of students and researchers, joint ventures, joint research programs, and the organization of joint workshops and seminars. Furthermore, the Ministry of University and Research, in cooperation with CRUI, selected 40 students from 700 candidates across Italy to participate as trainees in activities at the Italy Pavilion during each trimester of the Expo.
“Italian universities strengthen their role as an extraordinary bridge between Italy and Japan,” said the Minister of University and Research, Annamaria Bernini. She emphasized the significance of the eight protocols, which open new opportunities for student mobility and joint research.
Ambassador Vattani noted that the mission represents the Italian university system in its entirety at the Italy Pavilion and highlighted Expo as a “strategic platform for the promotion of our universities.” CRUI President Giovanna Iannantuoni praised the level of Italian research and its role in fostering innovation and growth.
Italy’s ambassador to Japan, Gianluigi Benedetti, expressed confidence in the growth of bilateral academic and scientific relations, describing academic cooperation as a cornerstone of international relations. Professor Masato Fujisawa, vice president of the Japan Association of National Universities, acknowledged the ongoing reciprocal exchanges and the active role of students and researchers in strengthening ties between the two nations. He cited data indicating that, as of May 2024, 820 Italian students were living in Japan in 2023, while 1,642 Japanese students were studying in Italy.