The Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) organized the Japan-NER Academia-Industry Cooperation Symposium 2026 (JNTCS 2026) in partnership with Gifu University, Japan, with the objective of enhancing collaboration between North East India and Japan in academia, research, and industry. The symposium allowed stakeholders from the Northeast region to connect with Japanese counterparts to address global challenges in areas like food security, healthcare, environment, sustainable energy, and clean water. The initiative aims to foster global exposure and educational opportunities for students and researchers from Northeast India, promoting multilateral collaborations in various fields including science, technology, and medicine.
Since 2022, Japan has recognized Northeast India as a strategic priority, leading to a commitment to facilitate the exchange of 5,000 students to and from Northeast Indian institutions and Japanese universities over the next five years. In his opening remarks, IIT-G director Prof. Devendra Jalihal highlighted the significance of the consortium in uniting engineers, medical professionals, scientists, and policymakers to catalyze the region’s growth and its industrial transformation.
A significant outcome of the symposium was the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) to participate in the North East Region–Japan International Academic and Research Consortium, which will act as a conduit for implementing India’s Act East Policy towards ASEAN and East Asia, thereby establishing a framework for collaboration between institutions in Northeast India and Japan. A total of 22 institutions from the Northeast signed this LoI, with IIT Guwahati designated as the nodal institution in India and Gifu University as the coordinating institution from Japan.
Prof. Kazuhiro Yoshida, President of Gifu University, expressed confidence that this collaboration will advance the core commitments of education, research, technology transfer, and societal service, marking the Consortium’s potential to enhance academic and research partnerships in a meaningful manner for students and researchers in Northeast India.
