On February 9th, 2017, Hiroshima University entered into an Agreement on Academic and Educational Exchange with the Nuclear Protection Evaluation Centre (CEPN, France) as well as an agreement for establishing an education and research center.

Among the five participants at the signing ceremony were President Mitsuo Ochi, Executive and Vice President (Industry-Academia-Government and Community Collaboration) Takashi Takata, Vice President (Reconstruction Support/Radiation Medicine) Kenji Kamiya from Hiroshima University, Dr. Thierry Schneider, Director of CEPN, and Dr. Jacques Lochard, former Director of CEPN and current Vice-Chair of the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

CEPN, a nonprofit organization based in Paris, has expanded Nuclear Protection Studies into the fields of Social Science as well as Risk Assessment and Management, and been a significant contributor to the optimization of radiation protection for over 40 years. With its network of specialists in Europe, the Center has been using their expertise and experience to provide support both overseas and in Japan since the Fukushima　Radiation Disaster.

At the signing ceremony, President Ochi stated with pride, “It is my pleasure and honor that today we agree to finalize a MOU with CEPN, and establish the ‘Hiroshima University - CEPN Radiation Disaster Recovery International Cooperation Center.’ From this moment onwards, we will use the Center as a base of our university's education and research activity and further promote collaboration with CEPN on academic and educational exchange.”

With this agreement, Hiroshima University and CEPN plan to deepen collaborative relationships between the two institutions, and aim to enhance the international and interdisciplinary education and research capabilities of the Phoenix Leader Education Program for Renaissance from Radiation Disaster; one of Hiroshima University’s Leading Graduate Education Programs.

After the signing ceremony, Hiroshima University Phoenix Leader Education Program for Renaissance from Radiation Disaster held the “2nd Symposium of Phoenix Leader Education Program Industry-Academia-Government Consortium for Human Resource Development” with the theme of “Building a human resource development system and network for the recovery from a radiation disaster” at Tokyo International Forum Hall. The symposium drew both domestic officials from Japan as well as foreign dignitaries from many overseas institutions in Asia and Europe, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and the National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia.