The first official visit of representatives from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to the PHAETHON Centre of Excellence of the University of Cyprus took place on 16 December.

The distinguished delegation consisted of Prof. Kohei Uosaki, Programme Director of GteX, Professor Emeritus at Hokkaido University, and Emeritus Fellow of the National Institute for Materials Science, and Prof. Susumu Kuwabata, Programme Officer of GteX-Battery, and Professor Emeritus of Osaka University.

The Japanese delegation was received on-site by the Rector of UCY, Prof. Tasos Christofides, alongside the Co-Founders of PHAETHON CoE, Professors George E. Georghiou, Constantinos Christofides, and Panos Papanastasiou. 

Following an overview of the activities of the University by Rector Christofides, Prof. Georghiou dived into the activities and attributes of our ongoing transformation to excellence. Professors Uosaki and Kuwabata similarly presented the incredible activities of the JST.

During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to tour our state-of-the-art labs and the UCY Library, which stands among the best European academic libraries.

The New Year 2025 will be marked by increased activity in joint areas of interest, among which, a series of educational visits by PHAETHON researchers and UCY students to Japan, as well as working towards concluding an International Cooperative Graduate Programme (ICGP) Agreement that will allow UCY to nominate and co-supervise a cohort of local doctoral students during their studies in Japan.