On November 2024, 11, Head of Research Morten Sivertsvik and Researcher Izumi Sone from the Norwegian Institute for Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima AS), as well as Professor Jorgen Lerfall (Head of the Food Department), Professor Anita Nordeng Jakobsen, and Associate Professor Eva Falch from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), visited our university.

　The group was welcomed by Executive Vice President for Education and International Affairs Masashi Maita, Professor Shingo Matsukawa, Associate Professor Norimoto Takahashi, and Associate Professor Mariro Shibata, who held a meeting with the delegation. At the beginning of the meeting, Executive Vice President Maita stated that OUJ has been deepening its relationship with major Norwegian research institutes, Nofima AS and NTNU, through international exchange programs such as iFoodnet and Inter-Cold, but that the exchanges that were suspended due to the COVID-9 pandemic have now resumed, and that he is very happy and grateful that students from Norway have returned, and that he would like to further promote exchanges in the future. He also stated that OUJ's METIS program was selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Global Expansion Project in September, and that the program will be further promoted as an extension of existing exchanges.

　Professor Shingo Matsukawa explained the past efforts and current status of iFoodnet, and the secretariat explained the future direction of the METIS program. Associate Professor Eva Falch of NTNU mentioned ideas such as linking this program with Erasmus+, which is implemented by the European Union.

　In the afternoon, a research symposium was held by Nofima AS, NTNU, and our university's Food Production Science Department, as well as an information session on studying abroad in Japan for Japanese students of the METIS program.

　Our university has been actively promoting exchanges since concluding an international exchange agreement with Nofima AS in 2017, and a separate agreement and memorandum of understanding with the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Stavanger in 2022 to accept students researching at Nofima AS, and an international exchange agreement and memorandum of understanding on student exchange with NTNU in 2021. The METIS program will be launched in the 6 academic year, promoting two-way exchanges of students, mainly graduate students.

State of the meeting

Group photo

METIS Program Information Session