Memorandum of Understanding Signed with JICA for the Nation’s First ‘JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Science and Technology Cooperation Volunteers)’

The Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) concluded a Memorandum of Understanding at Kyoto University’s Yoshida Campus regarding the dispatch of the nation’s first ‘JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (Science and Technology Cooperation Volunteers)’ on 12 March 2026.

The Science and Technology Cooperation Corps is a new initiative promoted by JICA, a scheme that dispatches young Japanese researchers to research institutions in developing countries to conduct joint research with local researchers. Mr. Shukei Oyanagi, who has withdrawn from his doctoral programme under the research supervision exemption and is currently enrolled as a research student, will be dispatched to the National Centre for Disaster Prevention in Mexico for a period of two years, starting around August 2026 (tentative). He will work on the introduction of an automatic earthquake detection system and the evaluation of earthquake occurrence probabilities, as well as the social implementation of evaluation methods.

At the signing ceremony, Mr Masayuki Hirosawa, Director of the JICA Kansai Centre, and Professor Yasuyuki Kono, Vice-President of the University and Head of the International Strategy Headquarters, expressed their expectations for the Science and Technology Cooperation Corps. Furthermore, Director Tomoharu Hori of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) noted that the long-standing research exchange with Mexico had borne fruit, culminating in this dispatch, whilst Mr. Oyanagi shared his aspirations for his activities in Mexico.

This signing ceremony was held in collaboration with Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Japan.