List of
documents

Documents

On August 20 and 21, 2000, the Sendai Executive Forum on Inter-University Exchange hosted by Tohoku University was convened in Sendai as part of the "International Symposium on Research and Education in the 21st Century: The Role of Inter-University Academic and Student Exchange." There wer discussed such questions as the organization of global networks among universities, policies for the promotion of international and regional collaborative research, and the problems and possibilities raised by the expanding temporal and spatial scope of research and education. A keynote address was delivered on "The Future of Advanced Research and Higher Education: The Role of Inter-University Exchange." Through these special issue sessions and panel discussions the participants of the Forum proclaimed Communique of the Sendai Executive Forum on Inter-University Exchange.

This Communique became a base for Tohoku University Declaration, which was aimed at the fulfillment of the decisions, achieved during the panel sessions of the Forum. In this document the staff of Tohoku University undertakes to expand collaboration with the universities and institutes of other countries, to launch joint research and educational programs and to enlarge the number of mutual projects. This declaration applies not only to scientific, but also to academic and educational work of the universities. It implies student as well as researchers exchange.

As the first step of the realisation of the Declaration, Tohoku University decided to start with the opening of the Liaison Office at the Moscow State University. Their were several reasons why this institution was chosen to be the pioneer. An agreement about cultural, educational and scientific cooperation between Tohoku and Moscow State Universities was signed in 1998, and it became a base for further development of collaboration. But it was not the main reason, as Tohoku University has similar agreements with many countries, and with some of them collaboration in student exchange is much more successful (there are still no Tohoku University students, studying in Moscow State University, and only a few Russian students went to Sendai). The determinant of such choice was an effective collaborative work of the Institute of Fluid Science (a division of Tohoku University) and Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University. So it was considered reasonable to establish the Liaison office on the faculty-to-faculty level at first, and then, in case of successful mutual work, to expand the agreement on all the divisions and departments of both universities. So on September 19, 2001, Prof. J. Tani, Director of Institute of Fluid Science, and Prof. V. Trukhin, Dean of Faculty of Physics, signed Memorandum on Organization of the Liaison Office between Institute of Fluid Science and Faculty of Physics in three languages (Japanese, Russian and English), all having equal value.

It was decided to place the Liaison office at the Low Temperature Physics Department of Faculty of Physics, and an Addendum to Memorandum was signed between Prof. J. Tani, Director of Institute of Fluid Science, and Prof. A. Vasil'ev, Director of Low Temperature Physics Department. In this document it was clarified that the Russian part will provide an office space for the Liaison office and its maintenance and utilities, and the Japanese part will buy the equipment, necessary for the Liaison office performance.

The Liaison office will be managed by the Liaison Office Joint Advisory Council, consisting of the members of Tohoku University and Faculty of Physics. The Bylaw of the Council was signed on September 21, 2001, during its first meeting (you can find the minutes of this meeting in the list of documents beside).