Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has collaborated with Japanese institutions through a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed at a two-day Indo-Japan symposium.
The Japan–NER Academia-Industry Cooperation Symposium 2026, held on March 9 and 10, was jointly organised by IIT Guwahati and Gifu University. The event brought together academic institutions, researchers and industry representatives from both regions, with a shared focus on building long-term partnerships.
At the center of the symposium was the signing of an LOI to establish the North East Region–Japan International Academic and Research Consortium. A total of 22 institutions from the Northeast, including NITs, IIITs, universities, and specialised institutes joined the initiative, signaling a collective push towards global collaboration.
The collaboration is expected to create new opportunities for students as well as researchers, especially in fields like science, technology, and medicine.
Officials said the partnership aims to go beyond academic exchange, addressing global challenges like food security, healthcare, sustainable energy, environmental protection, and access to clean water.
A major highlight of the initiative is the planned exchange of around 5,000 students from Northeast India to Japanese universities over the next five years, with a similar number of Japanese students expected to visit Indian institutions.
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Speaking at the event, IIT Guwahati Director Prof. Devendra Jalihal described the consortium as a unique platform bringing together diverse stakeholders from engineers and scientists to medical professionals and policymakers who rarely collaborate at this scale.
This was echoed by Prof. Kazuhiro Yoshida, President of Gifu University, who said, “This partnership will strengthen some of the key pillars of academia such as education, research, technology transfer, and impact on society.”
The symposium also had participation from government bodies and organisations such as JETRO, JST, JICA, and JSPS.
