A delegation of 26 Japanese entrepreneurs comprising CEOs and Presidents of various SMEs visited the IIT Hyderabad campus as a part of Japanese entrepreneurs’ quest towards gaging India’s technological and entrepreneurial atmosphere and developing know-how of India’s student talent for future hiring in Japanese enterprises. The delegation was introduced to different technological and research achievements of IIT Hyderabad, including its international collaborations and the India-Japan collaborative efforts at the institute. They were also briefed about student recruitment and the internship process, besides persuading them to hire more Indian talents. The delegation also visited the Suzuki Innovation Centre (SIC) situated at the Institute besides learning about the JICA FRIENDSHIP 2.0 Project at the institute. Suzuki Innovation Centre (SIC), situated at the Institute, is a collaborative endeavour between Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan (SMC), and IIT Hyderabad, set up in January 2022 at IITH. Members of the visiting delegation were also taken for a tour of the IITH campus and all its facilities, including TIHAN. Delegates were happy to see the unprecedented technological and infrastructural advancements and research facilities available at the Institute. They were highly fascinated to learn about Japanese collaborations with the IIT Hyderabad.
The Japanese delegation, led by Mr Kenta Tani of the Japan Management Consultants Association, also met the Director of IIT Hyderabad, Prof BS Murty, as part of a courtesy call. Japanese representatives held several rounds of talks with IITH representatives comprising the Dean of International Relations, Prof Tarun Kanti Panda, Team Leader of JICA FRIENDSHIP 2.0 Project, Kunitoshi SAITO, Prof. Kotaro Kataoka, and Faculty-in-charge of the Office of Career Services, Dr Abhinav Kumar and other senior academic and administrative officials.
Both sides discussed several issues of mutual interests and future collaboration opportunities. The visiting delegation showed keen interest in various aspects of IITH, viz. its education model, research specialities, and IITH-Japan collaborative efforts, viz. SIC, JICA FRIENDSHIP 2.0 Project. Also, some Japanese businessmen showed interest in individual visits to the institute in the coming days to explore recruitment or research collaboration possibilities.
In a statement issued to the Japan Desk at IITH, the delegation said, “We saw IIT Hyderabad and were impressed by the depth of relations with Japan and would like to expand business development by linking more Japanese technology and innovation with India.”
It is to be noted here that IIT Hyderabad has been taking forward India-Japan relations to a next level by undertaking several collaborative efforts viz. joint research programs, JICA Fellowship Program, and students-exchange programmes to name a few. The Institute has even established a dedicated Japan Desk at its campus to cater to the needs of Japanese companies and industries.
