Kyoto University, a UC San Diego Partner, Will Open Office in San Diego

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Kyoto University, one of UC San Diego’s international partners, will open an office in this office complex near the university.

Kyoto University of Japan, one of the University of California San Diego’s international partners, will open an office in San Diego in early April, both campuses have announced.

The Kyoto University Office will be located in the Sunroad Corporate Center, Suite 200, at the Eastgate Mall near UC San Diego.

When UC San Diego opened an office in the heart of Tokyo in 2016, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said: “By opening this new office, UC San Diego is demonstrating our commitment to strengthen our global partnerships and advance the frontiers of knowledge in order to benefit our planet and humankind.”

Those very words could be repeated today as Kyoto University opens its office here, adjacent to the university and the innovative research institutions on the Torrey Pines Mesa.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer welcomed the announcement. "We are proud to welcome Kyoto University to San Diego as its premier location to promote international partnerships in North America,” he said. "This decision bolsters San Diego's standing as one of the smartest and most innovative cities in the world. It's yet another example of how San Diego's research ecosystem and collaborative culture continues to drive our economy and attract the world's most talented individuals."

Sandra A. Brown, Vice Chancellor of Research at UC San Diego, said the new office “is a milestone we have achieved as a result of several years of hard work by faculty and staff at both institutions. UC San Diego and Kyoto University are premier research partners, and we expect our collaborations to expand by having the Kyoto University office next door.”

Most recently, the university hosted the second UC San Diego-Kyoto University Joint Symposium, which featured two Nobel Laureates, the late Roger Tsien and Shinya Yamanaka, and attracted more than 300 participants from both universities as well as regional businesses and research institutions.

“We are proud of the fact that we have maintained a healthy relationship between our two universities since UC San Diego’s early years, our cooperation beginning soon after its establishment,” said Kyoto University President Dr. Juichi Yamagiwa. “The new Kyoto University San Diego Office will further enhance and develop research collaborations with not only UC San Diego but also with the many prestigious institutions and hospitals in the greater San Diego region and in California, as well as with its active industry communities and governmental network.”

Dr. Nagahiro Minato, Executive Vice-President for Research, Planning, and Hospital Administration at Kyoto University, agreed. “Several research collaboration projects have been successfully initiated in the bio-medical field during the past four years, and researchers are intensively discussing possibilities of new collaborations to be started soon in multiple disciplines.”

Dr. Makoto Azuma, who will be the founding director of the Kyoto University office, said the new facility in San Diego would enable both universities to collaborate more effectively in a wide range of research areas. “Our university strives for diverse development in pure and applied research in the humanities, sciences, and technology,” he said, “while seeking to integrate these various perspectives in promising and productive ways.”

UC San Diego’s Miwako Waga, Director of International Outreach in the Office of Research Affairs, said those involved in previous symposiums and research collaborations with Kyoto University look forward to the possibilities of exploring the scientific and technological frontiers together.

“The dialogue we started during the past joint symposiums has already resulted in joint publications and plans for new joint-research initiatives,” she said. “While their main purpose of their new San Diego office is to enhance the international partnership with UC San Diego, Kyoto’s leadership is also keen to build collaborative relationships with various research institutions on the Torrey Pines Mesa and the business community in the Southern California region.”