Sep 20 2017

On August 21, the Signing Ceremony of Agreement of Cooperation between King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) and Niigata University took place at KMUTT's Knowledge Exchange for Innovation Center (KX) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The ceremony was attended by President Sakarindr Bhumiratana, Vice President Pornapit Darasawang, Assistant to President Anak Khantachawana and other nine faculty members from KMUTT, and President Sugata Takahashi, Vice President Takahashi, Professor Kazuhiro Nakano and Assistant Professor Phonkrit Maniwara from Niigata University. The both Presidents signed the Agreement of Cooperation after exchanging words and introduction of KMUTT.

The exchange with KMUTT has continued since September 1999, when our Faculty of Agriculture and Graduate School of Science and Technology and KMUTT's School of Bioresources and Technology concluded the Agreement of Cooperation. Through the Double Degree Program, Niigata University has received 4 double degree-seeking students from KMUTT's School of Bioresources and Technology so far. We expect that the conclusion of the university level agreement will widen the academic field of exchange as well as deepening the collaboration in the field of Agriculture.

On the same day, the Opening Ceremony for SixERS ASEAN Platform (AP-SixERS) took place at the same premise.
The ceremony was attended by Mr. Shigeki Kobayashi, Head of the Cultural Public Relations Department at the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti, Executive Director of ASEAN University Network, and approximately 100 participants from government agencies, partner institutions in Thailand, and Japanese businesses located in Bangkok, and they celebrated the opening of the new office. This office is the third joint office established by SUN/SixERS, a consortium of six national universities, Chiba University, Niigata University, Kanazawa University, Okayama University, Nagasaki University and Kumamoto University, after the Asian Platform (Changchun, China) established in November 2014 and European Platform (Leiden, Netherland) established in August 2016. The purpose of the joint offices is to promote exchanges with excellent universities on the globe, particularly with those in the regions of strategic importance.

The ceremony was followed by the Memorial Party for the Opening Ceremony of AP-SixERS. The party began with a welcome speech from President Sakarindr Bhumiratana of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology-Thonburi which owns KX Building, followed by a toast by President Sugata Takahashi of Niigata University, introduction of SUN/SixERS, and warm messages from the honorable guests. Much hopes for AP-SixERS came together in the heart of Bangkok.