The SACI signs a MOU with the OTD, Harvard University

March 22, 2010

A signing ceremony was held for a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), at the Harvard University Office of Technology Development (OTD). The signatories were Mr. Isaac Kohlberg; Senior Associate Provost and Chief Officer of Technology Development for Harvard University, and Dr. Keisuke Makino; Vice-President and Director of the office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation (SACI) at Kyoto University. The aim of this MOU is to build a new comprehensive industry-academia collaboration partnership between the two parties, focusing on the efficient transfer of technologies.

In the MOU, the SACI and the OTD confirm their mutual commitment to hold collaborative workshops, symposiums and technology showcases.

Through these activities, the SACI hopes to promote the transfer of technologies to the US, while the Harvard University OTD hopes to encourage similar Industry-Academia collaborations in Japan.

After the MOU signing ceremony, the Consulate-General of Japan in Boston, Consul General Masaru Tsuji invited both parties to an official residence, and they exchanged ideas for the technology transfer and the Industry-Academia collaboration activity.

With this MOU as foundation, the SACI has been able to invite speakers from the Harvard University OTD to hold a workshop on "best practices in technology transfer", with a focus on contracts and other legal aspects. The workshop is scheduled for May 24 and 25, 2010 at Kyoto University. Also being planned for this coming fall is a jointly organized technology showcase in Boston or Tokyo.

After the MOU signing celemony