The IAEA and the University of Tokyo in Japan signed an agreement in Vienna, formalising their decision to work together to enhance nuclear engineering and management research, education and training.
The IAEA and the university will cooperate in the creation of e-learning materials on nuclear issues and will also jointly organize training courses for students and professionals in IAEA Member States.
Yury Sokolov, IAEA Deputy Director General and head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, expressed the desire to create even deeper ties with the university and other Japanese educational institutions in the coming years.
Mitsuru Uesaka, Head of the Nuclear Professional School at the University of Tokyo, attended the ceremony on behalf of Takehiko Kitamori, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering.
This is the third such practical arrangement that the IAEA has signed this year, bringing the Agency one step closer to creating a truly global nuclear education network.
Background
The University of Tokyo was established in 1877 as the first national university in Japan. It has two nuclear departments that offer master´s courses in nuclear engineering.
Responding to international demand for nuclear education, the University of Tokyo´s Nuclear Professional School is translating a series of Japanese textbooks on nuclear engineering and management into English. As of October 2011, the School will also begin to accept foreign students in its ranks.
Drawing from the University of Tokyo´s experience, the IAEA can further expand its network and enhance its efforts in the field of education and training, allowing the Agency to achieve its objectives in the field of human resource development and nuclear education and training.