The primary goal of the visit by Prof. Winkelmann, TUM Senior Vice President for International Alliances and Alumni, was to intensify and expand cooperation with important Japanese partners such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tohoku University.
Exchange with TUM Alumni and becoming a member of DWIH Tokyo
A particular highlight at the beginning of the trip was the meeting with the Japanese TUM Alumni, which took place at the Bavarian Representative Office in Tokyo and was organized by TUM Alumnus Prof. Yukou Mochida and his team. The meeting enabled a lively exchange between the alums and served as a platform to strengthen the connection between TUM and its former students.
Another important step in the efforts to expand TUM's activities in Japan was the visit to the German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH) in Tokyo. An outcome of this visit is TUM's new status as an associate member of DWIH Tokyo since October 2023. This membership gives TUM better access to Japan's rich university landscape and its funding programs. In addition, it offers the opportunity to position itself as one of the best European universities in the Japanese scientific landscape.
Japanese Excellence Initiative holds great potential for TUM
Just this year, the Japanese government launched the highly endowed "International Research Excellence Program", which is comparable to the German Excellence Initiative. The program primarily promotes internationalization, the establishment of industry collaborations, and the founding of university start-ups at the selected universities. The first university to receive funding under the new program is the University of Tohoku. The launch of this Excellence Initiative opens new potential for more intensive collaboration for TUM and consolidates its role as an internationally recognized institution in the global university network. It is, therefore, a good time for TUM to position itself more strongly in Japan in the future.
For more information about TUM in Japan, please contact Birgit Reinbold.
Stays abroad in Japan for students: Learn more about the TUMexchange program
More about TUM Alumnus Yukou Mochida
TUM Community group for Japan
DWIH Tokyo