Japan-Canada partnership creates opportunities for research connections

Vancouver, BC– Mitacs’s new agreement with Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR) focuses on research mobility, and will create a strong network that spans from academic institutions to companies and incubators in both Canada and Japan. ATR and Mitacs will explore opportunities to collaborate on multiple fronts.

According to the partnership, graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows will carry out joint industrial internships, strengthen bilateral academic research networks, and act as conduits of collaboration between Japanese and Canadian innovation ecosystems.

ATR is one of the core organizations of the Keihanna Research Complex project in charge of the promotion of commercialization and the innovation hub. ATR promotes innovative research on information and communication-related fields with global collaboration among industry, academia, and government.

Since ATR’s establishment, outstanding research outcomes have been achieved in such fields as neuroscience, intelligent robotics, machine translation, and wireless communication, all made possible through collaboration with various universities, research institutes, and companies within and outside Japan. Through their Mitacs internships, students will apply their academic knowledge to real-world challenges, while Canadian companies gain competitive advantage by accessing high-quality research expertise, benefiting both countries.

Quotes:

Jennifer Wilke, Chief Financial Officer, Mitacs

“We are delighted to work with ATR to offer bilateral internship opportunities to Japanese and Canadian researchers. They will benefit from a unique experience that combines international opportunities with research experience. This agreement represents our countries’ shared commitment to talent development and economic growth.”

ATR Quote:

Dr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, Executive Vice President, Representative Director, ATR

“We have been accepting many Canadian researchers and internships to ATR since its foundation in 1986, and noticed their significant contributions to scientific achievements.  We are confident the agreement with Mitacs accelerates the innovation based on science and technology and strengthens the relationship between Japan and Canada.”

About Mitacs:

• Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
• Working with more than 65 universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation.
• Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada and every provincial government, along with academic and industry partners.

About ATR:

• ATR was founded as a corporation in 1986 by supports of industry, academia, and government.
• ATR leads growth of Kansai Science City with pioneering and innovative research achievements and their business developments based on global collaborations in computational neuroscience, life-supporting robotics, wireless communications and life science.

Links:

• For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/news.

###

Caption, from left:

Jennifer Wilke, Chief Financial Officer, Mitacs with Dr. Hiroyuki Suzuki, Executive Vice President, Representative Director, ATR