First JICA chair lecture at IITH held

Hyderabad: The Department of Liberal Arts, in association with the Office of International Relations, IITH with JICA, organised the First JICA Chair lecture by Prof Taichi Ono, Director, Health Care Policy Concentration, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), The University of Tokyo here on Thursday.

The relationship between Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and IIT Hyderabad (IITH) is steeped in legacy and has strengthened with time. In 2007, it was based on the commitment between the Prime Ministers of the two countries. Since then, IITH has been the most important institute for JICA's cooperation toward human resource development in India.

The cooperation is extended by providing comprehensive assistance through various projects, including an ODA loan of 23,035 million Japanese yen (around INR 1,400 crore) for the development of the IITH campus, technical cooperation projects to support personal and organizational interaction with Japanese academia and industries, joint research projects and public-private partnership projects made Department-wise based on the individuals' credentials and research inclination in the respective field.

Tanaka Akihiko, President JICA, said, "Japan's road to modernization began 155 years ago. Since then, Japan has become the first, and one of the best examples, of modernization through a non-Western approach. JICA has been engaging in various initiatives with IIT-H, which has become a crucial platform for engagement for both countries. There are almost 100 JICA projects in India, mainly in the field of infrastructure development, but I believe the investment in the Indian human resource can play fundamental role in nurturing better relationships between the two countries. Since the technology and innovation are the only solutions for solving complicated challenges like aging society, I strongly hope that today's lecture not only inaugurated the JICA Chair program in IITH but also stimulated the adventure of promising young leaders in India to tackle various development challenges to come. Through our projects, JICA is committed to enhancing the education system in India and around the world for a bright future.

Prof B S Murty, Director, IITH, said, "IITH shares a special bond with Japan, especially with JICA, due to its alignment with our objective of Inventing & Innovating in Technology for Humanity. I am confident this relationship will flourish further in the future. I am grateful to JICA for setting up of JICA Chair at IITH and providing opportunity to IITH community to learn about the culture and values of Japan through the JICAChair."