Japan-Australia University Symposium 2015

Towards Successful Partnerships:
Learning from Experiences

Symposium
Report24 November 2015
The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

SHARE OFFICE (Oﬃce for the Top Global University Project)
Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
Tel: +81 92 802 2199
E-mail: share@jimu.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Host: Kyushu University
Co-Host: The University of Sydney
Supported by Embassy of Japan in Australia

1Japan-Australia University Symposium 2015

Towards Successful Partnerships:
Learning from Experiences

Symposium Reportin Sydney on November 24, 2015. The event was planned and hosted by

1. Executive Summary........................................................

2

Kyushu University and co-hosted by The University of Sydney, which aimed to.......................................................................

5

promote and strengthen relationships between universities in the two

7

countries. It was an unprecedented experiment for a Japanese university to

3. Keynote Speeches.........................................................

4. Concurrent Breakout Sessions
4-1. Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4-2. Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4-3. Research.................................................................

14

5. Floor Discussion
5-1. Session Reports.......................................................

5-2. General Discussion
6. Closing

The Japan-Australia University Symposium 2015, ʻTowards Successful

Partnerships: Learning from Experiencesʼ was held at The University of Sydney

CONTENTS
2. Opening

Executive Summary

16

host a large-scale, inter-university event in Australia with approximately 130
attendees from 29 Australian institutions, along with 32 Japanese institutions.
The year 2014 saw Australia and Japan initiate important programs
contributing to the globalization of higher education. The AustralianGovernment instituted the groundbreaking New Colombo Plan, which
provides incentive scholarships and grants for undergraduates to study and...................................................

18

undertake internships in the Indo-Paciﬁc region, promising transformative........................................................................

18

learning opportunities for thousands, and deepening ties to area nations.

.................................................................

7. Poster session

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8. Reception......................................................................

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9. Appendix......................................................................

21

Japanʼs notable step was to launch the Top Global University Project, a broad,government-sponsored eﬀort to enhance the international compatibility andcompetitiveness of the countryʼs higher education system and research
environment. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology selected 37 universities for special funding, in recognition of theirachievements, potential for excellence, and proposals for improvement,
identifying 13 of them, including Kyushu University, for the highest levels of
support.
The heightened attention and increased allocation of resources to researchcollaboration, faculty and student mobility, and other varieties oftransnational engagement in both countries is no mere coincidence but
rather the inevitable consequence of globalization. Indeed, many universities
in Japan and Australia are now exploring, negotiating, and putting into
practical arrangements for expanded cooperation and exchange.
The symposium started with an Opening Address by Kyushu University
president Prof. Kubo, followed by Keynote Speeches from Prof. Ellis, The
University of Tokyo and Prof. Taylor, Australian National University. In theafternoon session, three Concurrent Breakout Sessions (Governance,
Education and Research) were held to share the experiences about thepartnerships between both countries. Speakers and audiences then held
intense discussions regarding ʻWhat are the lessons learned from pastexperiences?ʼ, ʻWhat are the key elements for the partnerships?ʼ, ʻWhat are thegaps between the universities of Japan and Australia?ʼ and ʻHow can weconstruct successful partnerships?ʼ in the Floor Discussion Session. Several
measures were suggested to construct successful partnerships in the areas ofGovernance, Education and Research, and also they discussed the necessityof developing structured partnerships from intimate individual relationships.
The one-day symposium was closed successfully, along with the Poster
Presentation by TGU universities.
Through this event, Japanese universities had an opportunity to raise theirreputation in Australia, and also the symposium provided an opportunity forattendees to reaﬃrm the importance of Japan-Australia university
partnerships and to determine to promote further strategic eﬀective
partnerships by gaining a better understanding of the past experiences andcurrent situations.

12

What are the lessons learned from past experience?
What are the key elements for the partnership?

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCESTOWARD SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS

What are the gaps between the universities of Japan and Australia?
How can we construct the successful partnerships?

3

4Satoshi Shinki (Director, Oﬃce for University Chartering, Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan)emphasized the importance of interaction and collaboration among
universities in an era of advancing globalization as key to tackling andresolving shared global issues. MEXT is actively engaged in support toJapanese universities to strengthen their international compatibility andcompetitiveness and develop human resources who will contribute to theworld and noted the strong relationship that already exists between
Japan and Australia.

Mr. Satoshi Shinki

Anne Baly (Group Manager, International Group, Department of
Education and Training) noted that international exchange and study
between Japan and Australia continues to be actively promoted. The twocountries are committed to providing programs that will further enhancebilateral cooperation in education and research and promote the mutual
recognition of qualiﬁcations. The Department of Education and Training

2 Opening
President Chiharu Kubo

Opening Address

also participates in an exchange program with MEXT, which serves tostrengthen the knowledge the countries have of each otherʼs education
systems. She stressed that Japan and Australia have a great deal to oﬀer
each other and expressed the hope that students of today areinternational students of tomorrow.
Ms. Anne Baly

Yoshihide Miwa (First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Australia) noted that
although there are great contrasts between Japan and Australia in terms

Chiharu Kubo (President, Professor, Kyushu University) welcomed manyof the size of the countries and their populations, a long-standing andparticipants from over 50 institutions to the symposium, noting that thisstrong partnership exists between the two countries. He noted thatwas indicative of the shared interest in promoting relationships between

Australia is home to the fourth-largest number of Japanese language

Australian and Japanese universities. He highlighted the various steps

students worldwide and 85,000 Japanese nationals, the third-largest

that are being taken towards further globalization in universities in both

Japanese population overseas. The bilateral relationship is now stronger

countries, including the New Colombo Plan in Australia and the Top

than it has ever been, but there is still room for further improvement in

Global University Project in Japan, a project in which Kyushu University is

the area of education and research. Mr. Miwa expressed the hope that theparticipating. Prof. Kubo stressed that symposium seeks to further

symposium would provide further momentum towards expanded

accelerate the momentum that has been achieved to date in expanding

university partnerships.

partnerships.

Mr. Yoshihide Miwa

Guest Speeches

Timothy Beresford (Executive Director, Tourism, Investment, Education
and Programmes Group, Australian Trade Commission) noted that the

Mr. Timothy Beresford

5Alex Cooke (Acting General Manager of the Science Policy Branch,
Science and Commercialisation Policy Division, Department of Industry,

governments of Japan and Australia are placing emphasis on education

Innovation and Science) noted that the Australian government hadin bilateral relations and national university bodies of both countries areissued a consultation paper in 2015 titled Vision for a Science Nation,seeking to deepen university-to-university partnerships. He noted that inoutlining government eﬀorts to maximize research potential andterms of R&D partnerships, various projects are already underway,

promote education exchange, among other initiatives. The government isincluding the establishment of the Global Institution for Collaborative

investing heavily in science research and innovation and education is

Research and Education (GI-CoRE) at Hokkaido University and the joint

critical to the goal of creating an agile and innovative nation in the 21st

PhD program established by the University of Adelaide and Nagoya

century. Japan is an important science and technology partner for

University. He expressed the hope that the symposium would help toAustralia and it is to be hoped that further advances can be made withpromote similar innovative approaches that would deepen sustainable

the support of both governments.

collaboration between Australian and Japanese universities.

Dr. Alex Cooke6

3 Keynote Speeches

standard student exchange programs.

Many Japanese universities are also embarking on establishingStudents at UTokyo have responded positively to the universityʼsinterdisciplinary programs to accommodate the needs of students

initiatives towards the internationalization of its campus, and manycoming from various backgrounds. In the future it is hoped that theare actively participating in various international and interculturalinter-university relationships will mature to a stage at which mutual

events. It is also noteworthy that the language barrier is gradually

recognition of qualiﬁcations will allow for double degrees.

coming down on Japanese campuses, as there seems to be a general

There are several reasons why Australia is so attractive to Japaneserise in the English language competence among Japanese students.

students. It is easily accessible and oﬀers high-quality education

This being said, however, there is still a long way to go. The ratio ofprograms nationwide. There is also strong governmental and

UTokyo students going on a full-length study abroad program is still

institutional support, and furthermore, there is already a robust

shockingly low, marking less than 2% of the total number of students.

network in place, which can be leveraged to promote further

In terms of the diﬃculties and challenges faced by Japanese students

partnerships in the future. The relatively compact size of the academic

who are contemplating studying overseas, apart from the language

community in Australia also makes it easy to have eﬀective

issue comes the concern shared by many students that they will misscommunication. It might also be added that Australia has a solid

the opportunity to ﬁnd employment after graduation. Studying

foundation in Japanese studies and Japanese language teaching,overseas can overlap with their job hunting season. On the part of thewhich can be eﬀectively utilised. All these factors combined makeuniversity, risk management is also important in order to respond

Australia an ideal destination for students.

eﬀectively to overseas emergency situations. Universities are also

In terms of its regional characteristics, it is important to note that

required to provide appropriate preparation and follow-up sessions

Australia is an excellent location for students to experienceto students going on overseas studies in order for them to maximize

multi-culturalism. At the same time, studying in Australia will provide

the experience. For incoming students Japanese universities should

an opportunity for them to increase awareness in the Asia-Paciﬁcwork further towards providing a quality curriculum in English acrossregion. The promotion of an “Asia-Paciﬁc literacy” among the younger

a diverse range of disciplines. Needless to say, for both outgoing andgeneration will be extremely important for the future of bothincoming students, securing suﬃcient funding is another critical

Australia and Japan.

issue.

Under the Top Global University Project various initiatives have been

Identifying the problems, acknowledging diﬀerences, and addressing

implemented. UTokyo will launch joint undergraduate courses in

misconceptions would thus be essential. The importance of further

2016 to be oﬀered by the Australian National University (ANU) andbuilding personal networks should also be underlined. Working

The University of Tokyo (UTokyo).

together closely will be a signiﬁcant stepping stone in forging a

A variety of other programs are being implemented through strategic

productive and fruitful network of relationships between Australianpartnership agreements, supported by a collaborative eﬀort between

and Japanese universities.

Australian and Japanese universities, and going far beyond theChallenges and Prospects:
Recent Developments in Australia-Japan University Exchange

Smarter Engagement:
A Bolder, Evidence-Based Approach to Japan-Australia University Partnerships

Toshiko Ellis (Professor, The University of Tokyo) outlined the recent

Veronica Taylor (Dean, Professor, College of Asia Paciﬁc, Australiantrends in internationalization among Japanese universities andNational University) began by noting that although in 2015 thepointed to some of the key issues shared by Australian and JapaneseJapan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement was concluded,

universities in their mutual endeavor to promote further relationships.

which in theory completely liberalizes all services, including opening

On the part of the Japanese government, MEXT has developed

up higher education in both countries, the paradox is that despite thevarious incentives to encourage students to travel overseas, includingarchitecture being in place for deep engagement, strategic

the TOBITATE program. The number of students engaging in overseas

engagement at the university level is still relatively shallow. This is astudies is steadily growing. One of the aims of the MEXT program is tochallenge that needs to be addressed. In terms of partnership withencourage students to actively engage in social activities overseas,

China, there has been a greater acceleration and deepening of

which will give them an opportunity to consider their career in theinteraction between Australia and China.

international arena. Japanese students still tend to be largely

As to how it may be possible to further invigorate partnership

domestically oriented, and it is a signiﬁcant challenge to push thembetween Japan and Australia, there is a strong base on which to build,to take the ﬁrst step to study overseas.

including robust government support and corporate-funded

The Top Global University Project provides incentives to universities

foundations. The Australian higher education sector oﬀers ato explore new approaches to promote international partnerships.

tremendously eﬃcient and highly productive university sector acrossThis has given added impetus to research collaboration and theall disciplines. Australia has a well-established research culture andtraining of professional staﬀ. The project encourages Japanese

high-quality teaching and learning structure that can adapt

universities to prepare the ground for international education as welleﬀectively to the needs of overseas students. One of the very

as promote international awareness on campus. Oﬀering courses insigniﬁcant capabilities and missions of universities in Australia is to be
Prof. Toshiko Ellis

7

languages other than Japanese is essential in achieving this purpose.

Prof. Veronica Taylor

8

an intersection university system. This term means that Australian
universities are ideally placed to combine all of the best aspects of
Anglo-Australian university tradition, the knowledge and capabilities
of Europe and new approaches to universities in Asia. This is possible
because university staﬃng proﬁles are highly internationalized. The
aim is to combine all these strengths in an eﬃcient and cost-eﬀective
way and provide a portal to Asia. There is no logical reason why
Australia could not serve the same role for Japanese partners as well.
Governance has been a signiﬁcantly institutional issue in universities
over the last decade and the point has been reached where most
universities are carrying out best practice in governance in order to
run universities in a transparent and eﬃcient way.
One of the weaknesses in Australia is that there is a tendency toforget about Asia from time to time. Popular perceptions of Asia alsochange as fashions and trends change. Engagement with partners inAsia can tend to be stimulus dependent. That means that
relationships with Japan could also be vulnerable if attention were to
be diverted to other countries. In a sense, this is accelerated by the
New Colombo Plan, which is a diﬀusion plan rather than aconcentration plan that seeks to encourage students to travel tomultiple destinations. Another weakness is that knowledge inAustralia about Japan tends to be siloed and further needs to be done
to ensure that knowledge is linked. The challenge of being
Asia-centric is to maintain a balance and ensure that suﬃcientnumbers of students remain focused on Japan.
Another weakness is that traditional modes of engagement havedepended on individuals, through researcher collaborations and4.Sessi ns
Concurrent Breakout

4-1.Governance

Chair: Takeshi Hirose(Deputy Director (International Strategy) Office of Global Initiatives, Professor, University of Tsukuba)

student exchanges, and all these points of connection tend to bepersonality driven and atavistic. The institutional challenge is to jointhese interactions more eﬀectively and raise them to the institutional
level. Further funding will be required in order to address suchchallenges and build projects that will be signiﬁcant and sustainable
in the future. There is an opportunity for major corporations to start
thinking about Australian universities as locations for infrastructure
and technology investments.
Another perception in Australian universities is that
“internationalization” simply means increasing the number ofinternational students, whereas engagement needs to go much
deeper and produce measurable results. One of the barriers to deeper
institutional engagement is the tendency for universities to bebureaucratic and risk-averse.
In terms of the opportunities for deeper engagement, a key sharedstrength is that Japan and Australia share similar values and alreadyhave many personal networks and connections. Japanese universities
are often very well networked with industry and this is somethingthat Australia is very interested in. Governments in both countries arealso putting universities under increased pressure to produce work ofdemonstrable value in response to various contemporary challenges.
An international and interdisciplinary approach would serve to satisfy
government demands and also feed into public policy.
It is imperative for Asia-Paciﬁc countries to change the way they
engage with each other and work in a more informed way withresearchers and colleagues in the creation and dissemination ofknowledge. It is possible that the Anglo-American university model
may be displaced in the future by Asian universities and it isimportant not to be complacent and be responsive to newchallenges. It is important for Japanese and Australian universities toaccelerate deeper engagement and commit to smart co-investment
projects in education and research that will enable mutual strengths
to be leveraged.

9

Developmental Challenges inJapan-Australia Higher Education Engagement
Jeremy Breaden (Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies, Monash University) noted that notionsof governance are still not deﬁnitively established, with varying organizations maintaining
their own deﬁnitions. He suggested that one way of conceptualizing governance in higher
education is as a relationship between text and paratext, where text refers to the corefunctions of education and research and paratext refers to the elements that frame andenable these core functions: physical infrastructure, procedures, structures and standards, aswell as campus environment and university reputation and brand. Text and paratext are
mutually constitutive, with paratext giving material form to text and paratext being pointless
without text. Governance is about managing the relationship between the two and ensuringcoherent and productive material connections between them.
In terms of why governance is important in international partnerships, one of the mostimportant factors is the lack of a common international framework for international
education, with each country following its own policies and priorities. Another is the fact thatpartnerships tend to be formed through ad hoc processes rather than according to uniform
standards. There is diversity in approaches to governance, including in leadership anddecision-making style, the relationship between diﬀerent university organs and also withregard to regulatory requirements.
Some of the common governance-related problems that arise between Japanese andAustralian universities are related to diﬀering contexts for the pursuit of internationalizationand international cooperation. Institutional priorities can range from benchmarking andglobal rankings to the development of research and education synergies, and even branding
within the domestic market. There is also great variety in the expectations and roles of otherstakeholders such as government and industry. Concrete structures and procedures forliaison and communication also need to be established. A further consideration is
engagement with students, and how to balance educational and pastoral responsibilities.
It is also important to consider the outcomes of good governance. This should notnecessarily be the proliferation of paratext in the form of procedures, rather it is importantfor partners to consider what they seek from a well-governed partnership.

Prof. Takeshi Hirose

Dr. Jeremy Breaden

10University Governance in Japan:
Current Situation and Issues in Kyoto University
Tetsuo Sawaragi (Professor, Kyoto University) provided a brief overview of Kyoto University,
founded in 1897, including its key competencies and overview of publications. Higher
education in Japan has contributed greatly to the development of Japan, through theformation of the knowledge base and the development and growth of the social economy.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is seeking toreform national universities in order to maintain international competitiveness and has
implemented ﬁve-year mid-term plans to this end. In the ﬁrst mid-term plan, from 2004, allnational universities were reorganized as corporations. The aim was for them to become
independent from national frameworks and ensure autonomous leadership.
The background to university reforms includes such factors as a decline in the college-age
population and a continual reduction in government funding. There was also increasing
international competition to enroll students and changing needs with regard to university
education. The National University Reform Plan (2013) seeks to strengthen measures toward
globalization, creating innovation and strengthening human resource development, as wellas building a structure to encourage independent and autonomous improvement anddevelopment. During the third mid-term plan (FY2016-21) the immediate goals are toenhance the functioning of national universities, establish human resource and salarysystems geared to revitalizing education, and develop a governance system that will
enhance the unique qualities of individual universities through presidential leadership.
In terms of reforms at Kyoto University a “faculty cohort and platform system” (tentativename) has been introduced to create a university-wide system that implements outstanding
education and research that transcends traditional faculty frameworks. A new
university-wide council has also been introduced that aims to support new interdisciplinaryﬁelds and university-wide educational organizations are being constructed. Kyoto University
is also promoting international engagement initiatives under its recently formulated“WINDOW Concept,” a set of guiding principles for the universityʼs current phase, which
includes wide-ranging internationalization measures to promote globally competitive
research and education of the highest quality.

Prof. Tetsuo Sawaragi

11

Chair: Hajime Nishitani(Vice President (International), Professor of Law, Hiroshima University))

From Conversation to Collaboration:
Building Strategic Institutional Partnerships

University Governance in Australia
Philippa Pattison (Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor, The University of Sydney)
noted that from a legislative perspective, universities are mostly the responsibility of theAustralian States, having been established to be self-accrediting and to be responsible forestablishing and maintaining the quality of their degrees, although most funding is from thefederal government. Separation between corporate and academic governance ischaracteristic of universities in Australia. The federal government made a decision ﬁve years
ago to increase participation rates in higher education, signalling a move to ademand-driven system and concern about impacts on quality.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) commenced operations in
2012, following substantial input from the university sector in the drafting stage, particularly
concerning the principles for TEQSAʼs regulatory function. Following criticisms of the system
and a change of government, the TEQSA structure has since been made more streamlined.
An advisory group, known as Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) has been
established that makes data available on student experience and student outcomes atAustralian universities.
Australian universities have been moving in the direction of greater corporatisation forsome time, which has fostered the rise of entrepreneurial universities, many of which
engage substantially in international education both in Australia and overseas. Nonetheless,peer review and collegial processes still play a pivotal role in decision making. At the sametime, universities and their academics engage externally in global academic networks andwith industry and community in ways that are organic or more institutionally strategic.
Collaborations between Japanese and Australian universities should seek mutual beneﬁt
and the creation of value that would otherwise be diﬃcult to attain. This would be most
readily achieved where relationships are reciprocal in intent, and where collaboration
expands access to learning experiences, expertise and infrastructure.

4-2.Education

Prof. Philippa Pattison

Fiona Docherty (Pro-Vice Chancellor (International), The University of New South Wales)
explained that UNSW has hundreds of partnerships with other universities, as is the casewith many other universities. There are signiﬁcant challenges, but equally signiﬁcantrewards in establishing partnerships and elevating these to help achieve strategic goals. The
case study of the partnership between UNSW and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) wasused to illustrate the challenges of strategic partnership development and lessons learned.
UNSW is increasingly competing with other universities for students and funding. This
prompted the university to think about partnerships in terms of achieving strategic goals.
The ﬁrst contact with SJTU was in 2005 and this led to a joint project on a Chinese language
teaching program. The Confucius Institute at UNSW launched in 2009 followed in 2013 witha leadership exchange program, as a part of eﬀorts to build a deeper understanding about
each otherʼs institutions. This led to invigorated staﬀ and student exchanges. However,further eﬀorts were required to work out a long-term strategic collaborative initiative. In
2014 ﬁve key strategic initiatives were identiﬁed. There is a focus on collectively promoting
research of both institutions to industry and a now limitless capacity to accept exchange
students. Good progress has been made in terms of growing the joint research fund andindustry funding, with signiﬁcant government and industry interest being shown.
In terms of challenges faced, it was initially diﬃcult to persuade the university to invest in
the relationship. It was also important to ensure continuity so that more than one person
could advance the relationship. Seeking ways to be truly innovative was also important, as
was a top-down approach to research investment and collaboration. Lessons learned fromthe SJTU collaboration can be summarized as being ambitious, ensuring presidential
support, looking outward for industry opportunities and promoting staﬀ and student links.
In terms of collaboration with Kyushu University already great progress has been made,with signiﬁcant joint projects in progress and solid government support. It will now benecessary to scale up partnership and seek deep, strategic cooperation in the future.

Prof. Hajime Nishitani

Ms. Fiona Docherty

12Double-Bachelor’s Degree Collaboration between Australia and Japan:
Things to be Considered and Overcome
Tsutomu Kanayama (Executive Director, Division of Global Planning and Partnership,
Professor, College of Social Sciences, Graduate School of Sociology, Ritsumeikan University)
explained that the Ritsumeikan Academy Vision 2020 (R2020) has three fundamental policies
to implement the Ritsumeikan Global Initiative, reform and develop education in bothundergraduate and graduate schools, and develop a distinctive global research university.
Ritsumeikan Global Initiative has four pillars, including the goal of implementing double
bachelorʼs degree programs with overseas universities and implementing global education
reform with a central focus on Asia. The creation of a double bachelorʼs degree program with
Australian National University (ANU) will therefore be key to achieving R2020. The 10-year
vision of R2020 is to achieve human development to collaborate across cultures andcontribute globally to Asian communities.
A joint degree or double degree would take Japanese education to a new level. The
signiﬁcance of the program is that it would create a new education model and take the lead in
the globalization of Japanese universities. It is anticipated that it would promote thedevelopment of global leaders of Japan, Asia and the global society. The degree program thatis being proposed is one that would see students receiving two bachelorʼs degrees from
Ritsumeikan University and ANU. It is anticipated that admission windows will be in April and
September. Discussions between the two universities are ongoing and it is hoped that the
program will be launched in 2018.
There are various issues to overcome before the program can be realized, including ashared understanding of the visions and the signiﬁcance of the program, acknowledgment of
the diﬀerences in educational systems and organizational cultures, eﬀorts to standardize
student workload, and measures to plan the curriculum in a manner acceptable to both
universities, including the use of tutorials, etc. In addition to curriculum planning, cooperation
will also be required on the means of course delivery, student admissions and program
operation. The government of Japan and MEXT are providing strong support for this initiative.

Prof. Tsutomu Kanayama

Chair: Beverley Anne Yamamoto(Director of the Human Sciences Undergraduate Degree Program, Deputy Director of International College,
Professor, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University)

MOOC as a Tool for International Collaborative Teaching:
An Experience from JMOOC ‘Global Social Archaeology’
Koji Mizoguchi (Professor, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University) explainedthat in late 2014 a three-week Mass Open Online Course (MOOC) on “Global Social
Archaeology” was organized between the Department of Archaeology at Flinders University
and the Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies at Kyushu University. This was the ﬁrst MOOC
developed by Kyushu University and the ﬁrst Japanese MOOC (JMOOC) oﬀered in English,
produced by an international team from Japan and Australia. Although a range of challenges
were faced it was recognized that MOOCs can work as an excellent arena for international
collaboration in tertiary education.
The aim of the course was to introduce social archaeology to an international audience ina coherent and concise package, targeting advanced undergraduates and junior graduates.
Another aim was to oﬀer Japanese students an opportunity to take English lectures that havethe basic structure of lectures oﬀered in English-speaking universities, making the contents
understandable, but not diluting concepts taught.
Challenges included making lecturing styles and visual materials appropriate for MOOCs
and the provision of sophisticated subtitling functions in Japanese and English. In terms ofassessment, the test and examination were made multiple-choice as they were being marked
digitally, but also sought to reﬂect the wider implications of each point that was taught.
Our JMOOC experience helped to identify the following issues: 1) How to overcome
diﬀerences that are generated through previous learning experiences, 2) How to assist mainly
non-English native students to get used to taking lectures in English, and 3) How to obtain
educational outcomes that can be converted to academic credits.
The production of a MOOC requires careful team planning and discussion and a signiﬁcantportion of eﬀorts is concentrated on making visual materials as approachable as possible. In
order for an international inter-university course to be converted to academic credits aquality assurance mechanism will also need to be established. From the experience of the
Kyushu University JMOOC, this method of teaching has the potential to be a valuable
component for international inter-university courses.

13

4-3.Research

Prof. Koji Mizoguchi

Mutual Efforts to Launch the Branch of Institute ofMathematics for Industry in La Trobe University
Masato Wakayama (Executive Vice President (Research), Professor, Kyushu University) notedthat mathematics for industry is a new research area to create advanced technologies in
response to industrial needs. Japan has previously been too oriented toward puremathematics and in order to address this challenge in 2007 Kyushu University establishedthe Mathematical Research Center for Industrial Technology, which led to the launch of theInstitute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI) in 2011. IMI was, in April 2013, designated by
Japanʼs Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as a “Joint
Research Center for Advanced and Fundamental Mathematics-for-Industry”. It is the second
such mathematics institute in Japan, and producing graduates, besides academic
mathematicians, who can apply their skills to add a competitive edge to industry. IMI has astrong international outlook and seeks to engage in collaborations around the world. It was
this outlook that led to the formation of the Asia-Paciﬁc Consortium forMathematics-for-Industry (APCMfI), comprising mathematicians from 11 countries andregions.
The Australia branch of Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI), Kyushu University wasestablished at La Trobe University in March 2015. The reason behind the establishment of
the Australia branch was the complementarity of industrial infrastructure between Japanand Australia. Both countries are strong in mathematics with Australia having a goodbalance among statistical, applied and pure mathematics and Japan has a strong
manufacturing and industrial base that provides opportunities for collaboration. The two
academic staﬀ at IMI Australia branch are employed by La Trobe University and seconded to
the IMI Australia branch. And they are regarded as regular academic staﬀ in Kyushu
University. Through the process of the selection and hiring, Kyushu and La Trobe learned
about diﬀerences in practices such as hiring methods and salary systems between Japanand Australia, which are deeply rooted in our respective cultures and social systems, andhow to overcome them. IMI Australia branch engages in various activities, including joint
research projects, student and researcher exchanges and remote seminars. The
establishment of IMI Australia has attracted press attention and highlighted the importanceof collaborative ventures of mathematics for industry in the Asia-Paciﬁc region.

Prof. Beverley Anne Yamamoto

Prof. Masato Wakayama

14

Case Study of University-Industry R&D
between Australia and Japan
Kazuhiro Nogita (Associate Professor and Director, Nihon Superior Centre for the
Manufacture of Electronic Materials (NS CMEM), School of Mechanical & Mining Engineering,
The University of Queensland) explained that the Nihon Superior Centre for the Manufactureof Electronic Materials (NS CMEM) was established at the University of Queensland (UQ) withthe purpose of bringing world-class research capability to the manufacture of electronicmaterials. The objective of NS CMEM is to enable UQ and Nihon Superior Co. Ltd to continue
their signiﬁcant history of strategic and collaborative research. The main goals are tocontribute to knowledge through papers and presentations at international conferences, tocontribute to industry through the development of proprietary materials and advanced
technologies, and to contribute to the development of human resources through the
involvement of students and researchers in the work of the center. The center specializes inthe development of lead-free soldering and brazing alloys and the manufacture of materials
for energy storage and transport materials, including hydrogen storage and novel solid-state
anode materials. There is a strong focus on commercially relevant and environmentally
sustainable research.
An additional example was provided by Professor Nogita in the recounting of his
experience with collaborative access to international research facilities. He highlighted how
UQ researchers have been able to characterise the performance of hydrogen absorption
alloys using in-situ TEM (transission electron microscopy) at Kyushu University. Importantly
this access was facilitated by a JSPS Fellowship and the results have the potential to lead tofurther academic and commercial relationships between Australia and Japan.
The advancement of lead-free solder projects with Nihon Superior Co., has centeredaround the continual characterisation and analysis of the lead-free solder SN100C®. This
project has created a mutually beneﬁcial relationship for both Nihon Superior and UQ. There
are substantial opportunities for collaborative relationships to be established between
researchers and industry in Australia and Japan and these can grow over time. The
importance of initiating small projects which have the potential to develop over time wasdiscussed.

Dr. Kazuhiro Nogita

5 Floor Discussion

A Personal Reflection into Japan-Australia
Engineering Research Collaborative Frameworks
Jaime Valls Miro (Associate Professor, The University of Technology, Sydney) noted that incollaborations in robotics between the Centre for Autonomous Systems (CAS) with various
Japanese institutions, including academic, scientiﬁc and industry bodies, he had
experienced both successes and failures. However, notwithstanding some challenges hehad found Japanese institutions to be excellent partners, with great specialization in
robotics and a great deal of knowledge to oﬀer.
In building collaborative ventures it is essential to take time to cement trust and build
mutual respect. It is also important to follow counterpart advice about what is likely to workeﬀectively in Japan and what will not. Rather than aiming big from the start it is important toplant “seeds,” starting small with a view to expanding collaborative eﬀorts over time. There
are also opportunities that can be grasped, including the eﬀective utilization of the Top
Global University Project that is being implemented by MEXT in Japan. Another challenge to
be overcome is the Japanese tendency to take a local approach over a global approach andto follow channels in Japan rather than in Australia or other countries.
Examples of engagement include oﬃcial programs for bilateral academic/scientiﬁccooperation, such as those through the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)and the Australian Academy of Science (AAS). In-house international collaboration programs
as well as personal visits and joint publications are also eﬀective means of engagement.
The continuing goal of CAS is to establish a consolidated Japan-Australia framework foracademic research in robotics engineering, with a bilateral researcher-to-researcher fabricconducive to cooperative research. Successful ﬁrst steps have been made and it will now beimportant to work to build trust and secure funding for further activities.

5-1．Session reports

Session Report: Governance
Professor Takeshi Hirose reported that the three panelists had discussed
various aspects of governance reforms and how they could aﬀect
international partnerships. They did not seek to arrive at any consensus on
the meaning of governance which is an essentially contested concept. Nor
did they come to claim that there exists an ideal, culturally-neutral, form ofgovernance that applies anytime and anywhere. Yet, they did agree on one
thing: however it is deﬁned and structured, governance matters a great deal
to the success of inter-university partnerships. Without governance ‒ aneﬀective governance ‒ an organization, especially big and complex
organizations like universities, will lack direction, and an ability to makestrategic decisions. While an eﬀective governance cannot work miracles,
moreover, the university governors have a major role to play in successfulinter-university partnerships. No doubt, grassroots, spontaneously developed
collaborations among individual researchers will continue to serve as the
Dr. Jaime Valls Mirocore of any successful partnership. Given scarce resources, however, theuniversity will have to be selective about which regions to focus on, which
academic areas to invest in, which partners to collaborate with, and how
much resources to provide to which partnerships. And only the university
governors can make a series of tough, but necessary, strategic decisions
based on an aspiring vision for which they themselves are responsible.

15

Prof. Takeshi Hirose

165-2．General Discussion

Session Report: Education
Professor Hajime Nishitani reported that during the session the presenters had all
stressed the importance of proactive eﬀorts to create strategic frameworks for solid

Following reports by chairs from each session Reiko Aoki (General

research collaboration. Speakers shared their ﬁndings that promoting

partnerships. It was noted that it is critical to sow seeds that will develop into long-term

Chair, Executive Vice President (International), Professor, Kyushu

further exchanges between Japanese and Australian universities

eﬀorts that will have mutual beneﬁt for both sides of the partnership. Beyond the

University), as well as Kazuo Ogata (Symposium Organizer, Seniorrequires using the pre-existing relationships constructed at theconclusion of MOUs on partnership, it is critical to work to ensure that partnerships are

Vice President,(Top Global University Project), Professor, Kyushu

individual level, which are close-knit and strong, and expanding thisscaled up and seek actively to overcome problems. In order for collaboration to achieve

University), led a discussion among participants under the following

to a more organizational level. The symposium allowed participants

fruitful results, the usefulness of MOOCs had also been eﬀectively demonstrated in the

key questions on the symposium:from both Japanese and Australian universities to recognize theirmutual status as important partners to each other, and that pastsession, focusing on the joint eﬀorts of Kyushu University and Flinders University. The
creation of such new and innovative platforms for the provision of courses is something

・What are the lessons learned from past experiences?

experience should be drawn on to appreciate each other'sthat has great promise for international connectivity in the future. Although eﬀorts to・What are the key elements for the partnerships?

diﬀerences. It concluded with renewed resolve to promote further

promote education collaboration are labor intensive, the results cited by UNSW showed

・What are the gaps between the universities of Japan and Australia?

strategic and eﬀective partnerships going forward.

that the rewards can be fruitful and long-lasting and the initiative by Ritsumeikan

・How can we construct the successful partnerships?

University and ANU to implement a double bachelorʼs degree program shows promise
Various proposals were made on how to achieve successful

for the future.

partnerships in governance, education and research of Japanese andAustralian universities.
Prof. Hajime Nishitani

Session Report: Researchwith Australian universities take place on a case-by-case basis as theneed arises, so there was a question if this approach lacks in

Professor Beverley Anne Yamamoto reported that this session had discussed theoverarching strategy. In addition, remarks were made regarding theimportance of ﬁnding complementarity among universities for joint researchneed to further develop the professional skills and international

collaboration. Research collaboration between Japan and Australia is alreadycapability of administrative staﬀ, and the possibilities of support fromproductive and has even greater further potential. The number of joint Japan-Australia

the governments of both countries in order to promote international

publications has more than doubled over the last decade and the impact ofpublications has also increased, which demonstrates that research collaboration is
to work eﬀectively time and patience is required. However, in a globalized world timeand patience are often in short supply, particularly in the university context. When
talking about collaborations between countries with diﬀering cultures it is imperative
to give time to allow collaborations to develop. Another issue is funding and the needto seek industry collaborations, in addition to state and government funding, washighlighted. The importance of personal networks in developing joint research was also
raised as a key element for partnership. As the research levels in both countries are on

Philippa Pattison gave the closing remarks representing the co-host, The University of Sydney.

similar there is a natural aﬃnity for research collaborations. Moving forward it will be
important to continue to nurture pre-existing personal networks and to continue toShe reﬂected on the results of the day-long symposium, thanking the speakers, participants, andseek funding from both the private sector and from government funding bodies. In an

organizers, and closing the symposium with hopes for further strengthened relationships between

increasingly entrepreneurial and corporatist world it will continue to be important to
respond nimbly and seek to minimize bureaucratic red tape.

Prof. Kazuo Ogata and Prof. Reiko Aoki

6 Closingalready working well. The three presentations had all highlighted that for collaboration

17

One of the issues discussed as a key point for Japan is that exchanges

Prof. Beverley Anne Yamamoto

Japanese and Australian universities.
Prof. Philippa Pattison

18

7Poster Session

8Reception
Mr. Tom Yates

A poster display featured at the
symposium, 18 posters submitted by
Japanese TGU universities. During thelunch time, the representatives from TGU
universities conducted poster
presentations on their plan for the project.
It was a place for experience exchange andnetworking on the attendees of Australia
and Japanese universities and otherinstitutions.

List of TGU universities participating
Type A (8)Type B (10)Hokkaido University

Chiba University *Tohoku University

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies *The University of Tokyo *Sophia University *Tokyo Institute of Technology

Meiji University *Nagoya University

Rikkyo University *Osaka University

International University of Japan

Hiroshima University

Kanazawa University

Kyushu University

Ritsumeikan University

The reception was started with a greeting from Professor Ogata

toast to the future of bilateral partnerships between Australia andthanking all the speakers, participants and the University of Sydney asJapan. After friendly communication and networking time for thea symposium organizer. Following his address, Mr. Tom Yatesparticipants, the one-day symposium was closed successfully with(Australian Consul- General and Trade Commissioner, Fukuoka)

Hakata-Te-Ippon -a traditional ceremonial hand-clappingdelivered a speech introducing a congratulating message from H.E.

performance in Fukuoka, Japan- was led by Professor Koichiro

Mr. Bruce Miller, the Australian Ambassador to Japan and proposed a

Watanabe (Vice President of Kyushu University).

Kwansei Gakuin University
Okayama University **Poster display only

19

20

9

Appendix
9-2. Participating institutions

9-1. Symposium program
10:00 - 10:45 Opening

Opening address
Chiharu Kubo (Professor, President, Kyushu University)
Guest speeches• Timothy Beresford (Executive Director, Tourism, Investment, Education and Programmes Group, Australian Trade Commission)• Satoshi Shinki (Director, Office for University Chartering, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan)• Anne Baly (Group Manager, International Group, Department of Education and Training)• Yoshihide Miwa (First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Australia)• Alex Cooke (Acting General Manager of the Science Policy Branch, Science and Commercialisation Policy Division, Department ofInstitution

Australia

University, College and Research Institution

24

Governmental organization

4

Company

1

University, College and Research Institution

29

Governmental organization

3

University, College and Research Institution

1

Japan

Industry, Innovation and Science)

10:45 - 12:00 Keynote Speeches

Sub-total

Other countries

Total

29

32

1

• Challenges and Prospects: Recent Developments in Australia-Japan University Exchange
Toshiko Ellis (Professor, The University of Tokyo)• Smarter Engagement: A Bolder, Evidence-Based Approach to Japan-Australia University Partnerships
Veronica Taylor (Professor, Dean, College of Asia Pacific, Australian National University)
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch
12:45 - 13:30 Poster Presentation Core Time by Top Global Universities
13:30 - 15:30 Concurrent Breakout Sessions

1. Governance

2. Education

3. Research

Chair: Takeshi Hirose

Chair: Hajime Nishitani

Chair: Beverley Anne
Yamamoto (Osaka University)

Developmental Challenges inJapan-Australia Higher Education
Engagement

From Conversation to
Collaboration: Building Strategic
Institutional Partnerships

Mutual Efforts to Launch the Branchof Institute of Mathematics for
Industry in La Trobe University

Jeremy Breaden

Fiona Docherty

Masato Wakayama

University Governance in Japan:
Current Situation and Issues in
Kyoto University

Double-Bachelor’s Degree
Collaboration between Australia
and Japan: Things to be
Considered and Overcome

Case Study of University-Industry
R&D between Australia and Japan(University of Tsukuba)(Monash University)

Tetsuo Sawaragi(Kyoto University)(Hiroshima University)(The University of New South Wales)

Tsutomu Kanayama(Ritsumeikan University)

University Governance in Australia

Philippa Pattison(The University of Sydney)

MOOC as a Tool for International
Collaborative Teaching:an Experience from JMOOC‘Global Social Archaeology’(Kyushu University)

Kazuhiro Nogita(The University of Queensland)

A Personal Reflection into
Japan-Australia Engineering
Research Collaborative
Frameworks

Jaime Valls Miro

(The University of Technology, Sydney)

Koji Mizoguchi(Kyushu University)

15:30 - 16:00 Break
16:00 - 17:30 Floor Discussion• General Chair: Reiko Aoki (Executive Vice President, International Affairs, Kyushu University)• Symposium Organizer: Kazuo Ogata (Senior Vice President, Top Global University Project, Kyushu University)

17:30 - 17:40 Closing• Philippa Pattison (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education, The University of Sydney)

18:00 - 19:30 Reception

21

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