WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue University is expanding its international research and technology partnerships through new agreements with organizations in Japan focused on innovation, workforce development and critical technologies.
Purdue signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japan External Trade Organization, known as JETRO, and a letter of intent with Tohoku University. The agreements were announced during the 10th annual U.S. and Japan Digital Innovation Hub and Advanced Technology Workshop at Purdue.
The MOU with JETRO was signed by Purdue President Mitch Daniels and JETRO Chairman and CEO Norihiko Ishiguro.
The partnership will combine Purdue’s research and technology commercialization capabilities with JETRO’s networks in the United States and Japan. The collaboration is expected to help businesses, startups and researchers navigate markets in both countries while supporting innovation and economic development.
The agreement will also involve programs through the Purdue Research Foundation focused on innovation, incubation, technology transfer and startup support.
The letter of intent with Tohoku University builds on approximately three decades of academic and scientific cooperation between the two institutions.
The two universities plan to expand joint research, student and researcher exchanges, and cooperative training in areas including hydrogen energy and semiconductors.
(Photo by Purdue University)
“Together, the partnerships position Purdue and its like-minded Japanese counterparts at the forefront of global tech diplomacy, particularly in crucial fields like energy, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technology,” said Dimitrios Peroulis, Purdue’s senior vice president for partnerships and online and a Reilly Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Purdue and Tohoku researchers will also work to develop new materials that could improve the efficiency and durability of energy technologies, including hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolysis.
Purdue researchers will contribute expertise in AI-driven materials discovery, first-principles modeling and device-level applications, while Tohoku researchers will bring expertise in interface science and electrochemistry.
The partnership builds on existing initiatives involving Purdue and Japanese institutions, including the ASPIRE-Hydrogen project and the UPWARDS Network, which Purdue established in 2023 with Japanese technology companies and universities to advance semiconductor workforce development and research.
Zhenhua Zeng, an assistant research professor of chemistry and chemical engineering who leads Purdue’s partnership with Tohoku in hydrogen energy, said the universities plan to establish a Purdue-Tohoku Joint Institute as a platform for continued collaboration.
The partners also intend to pursue joint research opportunities involving U.S. and Japanese programs.
The agreements are part of Purdue’s broader relationship with Japan, including an annual workshop that brings together universities, research institutions and companies from both countries.
The workshop and new agreements focus on research and workforce development in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced materials and manufacturing, space and quantum technology.
Purdue officials said the new partnerships are intended to strengthen connections between researchers, students and industry while creating opportunities for collaboration on emerging technologies in both the United States and Japan.
