Higher education is entering a period of significant change.
Artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and increasing global interconnectedness are transforming the ways universities teach, conduct research, and engage with society. At the same time, universities are being asked to address complex challenges that extend beyond traditional academic disciplines and national boundaries.
In this changing environment, international collaboration and interdisciplinary learning are becoming increasingly important.
My own involvement in higher education has spanned several decades and different international contexts. Having participated in the establishment and development of a tertiary institution in New Zealand during the early stages of higher education internationalisation, and having worked closely with students, faculty members, university leaders, and policymakers from many countries, I have witnessed both the opportunities and challenges facing universities in an increasingly interconnected world.
These experiences have reinforced my belief in the importance of international collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, and mutual understanding across cultures.
The Educational Research Foundation was established in the hope of contributing to the continued development of open, globally connected, and socially responsible universities. The Foundation seeks to support the internationalisation and interdisciplinary transformation of higher education in the age of AI through collaboration between Japanese and European universities.
Across Europe, universities have developed a wide range of innovative approaches in areas such as interdisciplinary education, international partnerships, digital transformation, challenge-based learning, academic mobility, and collaboration across borders. By studying these good practices and encouraging dialogue between universities in Japan and Europe, we hope to contribute, in our own modest way, to the future development of higher education.
The Foundation serves as a platform for research, dialogue, and partnership. Through research activities, seminars, institutional exchange, and collaborative initiatives, we seek to support universities as they explore new approaches to globally engaged and future-oriented learning.
We believe that the future of higher education depends not only on technological advancement, but also on the cultivation of critical thinking, creativity, ethical responsibility, and mutual understanding across cultures and disciplines.
We sincerely look forward to working together with universities, researchers, policymakers, and partners who share an interest in the future of higher education.
Thank you very much for visiting our website and for your interest in the Educational Research Foundation.
Minoru Kasuya
Chairman of the Board
Educational Research Foundation