The Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), in Japan and the
University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (FH Upper Austria), are the latest
institutions to join the World Technologies University Network (WTUN).
They join Koforidua Technical University, in Ghana, which also
joined WTUN during 2019, to form a thriving network of 25 technology-focused
institutions from every continent. Each member is committed to working collectively
and collaboratively to develop pragmatic and sustainable solutions to global
challenges.
In particular, both SIT and FH Upper Austria are firmly focused on
the benefits of international networking to provide the best-possible
opportunities for students as well as delivering world class research.
Benefits to WTUN membership include opportunities to take part in
exchanges and collaborative research, as well as making links between
institutions, industry, NGOs and SMEs. Our annual congress, hosted by one of
the member institutions, offers valuable opportunities to keep up-to-date with
WTUN activities and acts as a springboard for new collaborations.
Professor Brian Cantor, Chair of WTUN, said: “We’re delighted to
welcome these three new members to the WTUN network. Each of them will bring
distinctive strengths that will enable us to pursue our overall aims of
bringing together the collective technology research power of our members to
address some of the worlds most complex and systemic challenges.”
Shibaura
Institute of Technology, in Japan, is one of the country’s top global
universities, focusing on nurturing
practical engineers to lead Japan’s industrial development. Founded in 1927,
SIT has three campuses, two in Tokyo, and one in Saitama,
about 30 km to the north of the capital. The Institute’s philosophy of
‘learning through practice’ informs teaching and research across its four
faculty with a firm emphasis on developing competent, skilled and creative
individuals capable of making a sustainable contribution to society.
Shibaura’s president, Professor Masato Murakami, “WTUN draws
together like-minded institutions with an emphasis on global exchange
programmes and partnerships. As well as opening up opportunities for students,
we hope that, through our membership of WTUN, we will be able to extend our
research capabilities – this is key for increasing our ranking both globally
and regionally. We’re also very pleased that SIT’s emphasis on gender equality
is also a priority for the WTUN and we’re looking forward to joining with
WTUN’s initiatives in this important area.”
The University of Applied Sciences
Upper Austria (FH Upper Austria) is the country’s strongest university of
applied sciences in terms of research.
It
has 6,000 students studying at campuses in Hagenberg, Linz, Steyr and Wels and
brings in research grants worth around €20M per year. The university’s
strengths in technology, including AI, energy and renewable energy, medical
engineering and food technology, make it an important partner for companies both
in Austria and neighbouring countries.
The University also has a strong focus on international
collaboration, fostering a large network of around 250 partners across all five
continents. Membership of the WTUN will enable the University to further
strengthen its collaborations in technology and engineering research.
Dr. Günther Hendorfer,
co-ordinating WTUN activities at FH Upper Austria, said: “We’re very much looking forward to engaging
in joint research programmes across all of our areas of research expertise.
We’re also keen to invite WTUN specialists to come and talk to our students in
our new PhD college that is currently under construction and to taking part in
the WTUN Student Competition.
“A priority for FH
Upper Austria is to ensure that we have sufficient qualified engineers –
intiatives such as WTUN could be really valuable in developing a common
approach to bringing new young people into the field of engineering.“
