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Aug. 7, 2015

Celebrating a decade of collaboration between Japan and Singapore

The joint symposium

On August 3, RIKEN and A*STAR, the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research, marked the 10-year milestone of their research partnership by holding a joint symposium in Singapore, focusing mainly on material sciences.

RIKEN and A*STAR inked their first MOU September 2005 to encourage opportunities for scientific exchange between Singapore and Japan. The MOU has since been renewed three times. RIKEN’s first overseas international liaison office was opened in Singapore in 2006, attesting to its long-term commitment to its partnership with Singapore. The partnership has catalyzed joint projects in fields ranging from the biomedical sciences to the physical sciences and engineering. This partnership has also offered opportunities for scientific exchange through RIKEN’s summer programs in brain science and immunology.

In the most recent renewal of the MOU, the two sides have pledged tol further build on the existing partnership to include mutual areas of interest in material science.

Looking back on the partnership, RIKEN President Hiroshi Matsumoto, said, “RIKEN’s collaborations with Singapore through A*STAR have been extremely meaningful to us. A major mission of science today is to ensure the continued survival of humanity, and this mission cannot be accomplished without international cooperation. I strongly hope that our partnership will continue to develop, leading to important research breakthroughs that will benefit all of humanity.”

A*STAR Chairman Lim Chuan Poh said: “I am pleased that A*STAR’s and RIKEN’s longstanding partnership has catalyzed many opportunities for collaboration in R&D between Singapore and Japan. We will continue to build on the complementary research capabilities of both countries through joint projects and scientific exchange. I look forward to many more fruitful years of collaboration.”

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