Events 15th October 2024 Reception to Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Japan-UK Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement

On 15^th October 2024, a reception to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Japan-UK Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was held at the Embassy of Japan in the UK, hosted by Ambassador HAYASHI. AMED London joined the reception and set up a booth to showcase AMED’s activities and achievements in the UK, and our cooperation with UK partners. As part of the booth, AMED invited Prof Kei Cho from King’s College London, who is part of the organising committee for the UK-Japan Neuroscience Symposium which has been co-sponsored by AMED and the UK Medical Research Council annually since 2018, to speak about the partnerships between Japanese and UK researchers in neuroscience.

The reception began with some words of welcome from Ambassador HAYASHI, who spoke about the importance of Japan-UK science cooperation in solving global challenges – including specific mention of cooperation on neuroscience/dementia. Lord Patrick Vallance (Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation) then made some remarks in which he praised the high quality of science produced when Japanese and UK researchers collaborate in various fields. Professor MATSUMOTO Yoichiro, Science and Technology Advisor to the Foreign Minister, who was visiting the UK, then spoke about the importance of Japan-UK cooperation and highlighted the role of science in international diplomacy.

Finally, Lord William Waldegrave, who was the UK’s signatory to the Japan-UK Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in 1994, made a toast to the future success of Japan-UK cooperation.