Hiroshima University and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) * held a joint international workshop on September 29, 2021. This workshop was held jointly to expand the fields of collaboration and further promote international joint research in commemoration of the renewal of the university-wide exchange agreement concluded between Hiroshima University and CSIR in 2018. Approximately 300 people, mainly researchers from Japan and India, participated in the workshop.

* CSIR is a research development institution under the direct control of the Prime Minister of India, which has approximately 40 national research institutes throughout India. Hiroshima University and CSIR signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Research Partnership in 2018.

The workshop was started by the opening remarks by Dr. Mitsuo Ochi, President of Hiroshima University and Dr. Shekar Mande, Director General of CSIR, followed by the guest remarks by Mr. Yasuhiro Yonehara, First Secretary, the Embassy of Japan in India. Next, Dr. Manabu Abe, Executive Vice President (Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration) of Hiroshima University, and Dr. Anuradha Madhukar, Senior Principal Scientist, International S&T Affairs Directorate, CSIR, introduced the research and development strategies of each institution.

Participants were then divided into parallel sessions on six themes that were of great interest to both institutions and discussed research presentations and future collaboration. Lively discussions took place in each session, making the most of the three hours of time.

In the general comment, in response to the reports from each session, Mr. Yuji Nishikawa, Advisor for International Relations and Cooperation, Sakura Science Program Headquarters
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and Dr. G N Dayananda, Outstanding Scientist, Technology Management Directorate-Industry Interface delivered comments.

The themes of parallel sessions and its representatives from Hiroshima University are as follows.

SESSION 1: Smart Sensing Robotics
　　Prof. Idaku Ishii, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
SESSION2: Energy Conversion and Storage
　　Prof. Takayuki Ichikawa, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
SESSION3: Structural materials with high functions: Alloy design, characterization, mechanical tests, and simulation
　　Prof. Takeshi Iwamoto, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
SESSION4: Surface chemical functionalization of biomaterials
　　Prof. Koichi Kato, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences
SESSION5: Contribution from synthetic organic chemistry / medicinal chemistry to biomedical sciences
　　Prof. Takuya Kumamoto, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences
SESSION6: Novel methods of health monitoring of civil engineering infrastructure
　　Prof. Kenichiro Nakarai, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering

This workshop was held as part of activities under the " (Inter-University Project (India) by MEXT)" (Director: Dr. Manabu Abe, Executive Vice President (Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration), Coordinator: Dr. Akimasa Fujiwara, Vice President (Academy of Hiroshima University)).