A Courtesy Visit to Gifu University by Executive Vice Chancellor of North Carolina State University, USA
On Thursday, May 21, 2026, Dr. Jim Pfaendtner, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Dr. Krista Walton, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Dr. Amy Conger, Vice Provost for Global Engagement from North Carolina State University (NCSU), visited Gifu University.
Gifu University and NCSU have been promoting exchanges of students and faculty members through a human resource development project at the Intelligent Production Technology Research & Development Center for Aerospace (IPTeCA) of the Institute for Advanced Study. Following their visit to Nagoya University (Aichi Prefecture) on the previous day, this visit by NCSU representatives was arranged to further strengthen collaboration, particularly in the field of engineering.
The NCSU delegation, accompanied by Executive Director KOYAMA Tomohisa of Technology Partnership of Nagoya University, Inc., paid a courtesy call on President YISHIDA Kazuhiro. They also held discussions with Vice President WANG Zhigang, Executive Director KOYAMA Hiroyuki from Gifu University Organization for Promotion of Glocalization, Professor UEMATSU Yoshihiko, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor ITO Kazuaki from IPTeCA. During these discussions, Gifu University introduced its goal of becoming a university, committing to social implementation through co-creation in collaboration with industry, and exchanged views on the history of collaboration as well as various possibilities for future cooperation based on the respective strengths of both universities.
In addition, the NCSU delegation toured several of Gifu University's distinctive research centers, including the Additive Manufacturing Center for Implementation, Innovation, and Joint Invention, IPTeCA, and the Center for Advanced Smart Die Engineering Technology. They listened attentively to explanations given by the directors of each center.
Under the FY2025 Strategic University Reform and Innovation Environment Enhancement Project1 of the Cabinet Office, which Gifu University has been selected for, we will promote international joint research in collaboration with Nagoya University's partner institutions. NCSU, which is engaged in outstanding research particularly in the field of engineering, is an important partner, and we will use this visit as an opportunity to further promote exchanges with NCSU.
1) English name is tentative
