日本語

On June 2, 2025, Hiroshima University (HU) and the University of Idaho, USA, concluded an agreement on the establishment of the Microchips Engineering ＆ Security Alliance (MESA), a bachelor’s degree program aimed at developing global talent in the field of semiconductor engineering. (Please see the following article for more details: https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en/international/news/92409)

Following the signing of this agreement, HU and the University of Idaho held a joint press conference in Tokyo. The conference began with opening remarks delivered by President Ochi of HU, followed by an introduction of MESA by C. Scott Green, President of the University of Idaho, and Shinji Kaneko, Executive Vice President (Global Initiatives) of HU.

The University of Idaho is a comprehensive research university, one of a few institutions in the US that has earned a designation as an R1 institution, the highest rank in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The relationship between HU and the University of Idaho dates back to 1951, when Tatsuo Morito, the first president of Hiroshima University, asked universities around the world to support international greening initiatives and the rebuilding of the campus. In response, the University of Idaho sent several custom gifts to HU. In September 2022, the University of Idaho held an event in remembrance of the atomic bombing called “Remembering Hiroshima,” which became the catalyst for a close relationship to be built between HU and the University of Idaho through several campus visits and the signing of an academic exchange agreement.

The University of Idaho Hiroshima Campus will host the Microchips Engineering＆ Security Alliance (MESA), and graduates of this program will receive a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho. In this program, the first two years of education will be conducted at Hiroshima University, and the third and fourth years will be conducted at the University of Idaho in the US, with all four years of classes held in English. Furthermore,  the program fee will be set for all students regardless of nationality.

The program aims to recruit students widely from  the United States,Japan and abroad, with plans to officially accept students from August 2026 onward.

Through joint operation of the Hiroshima Campus, both universities will contribute to the development of global talent in the semiconductor field, which is experiencing an urgent shortage of human resources. This program is also expected to further develop the internationalization of national universities and promote collaboration and cooperation in the field of higher education between Japan and the US.