On November 26, 2020, Hiroshima University signed the “Agreement on the Cooperation in the Delivery of Emergency Supplies regarding COVID-19” with Izumi Corporation. Izumi and HU signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in April 2017 to promote industry-academia collaboration.

HU President Mitsuo Ochi and CEO Yasuaki Yamanishi of Izumi Co., Ltd. attended the signing ceremony held at Hiroshima University Kasumi campus.

President Ochi commented, “This agreement allows the delivery of food and other emergency supplies from the nearby Izumi stores to students, faculty, and staff who are required to stay home due to contact with infected people. We are confident that this will provide great support for students including the international students, and members of the university will feel safe while they are on standby at home.”

CEO Yamanishi said in the event, “The number of cases of COVID-19 is on the rise both in Japan and abroad. We hope that this initiative will be a success and serve as a vital utility for the community by supplying daily commodities.”

There are high hopes that this initiative, which is the first attempt by a national university, will serve as the role model of livelihood support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.